Stuck in the Darkness
by Total Simaniac
Summary: In an ordinary town, nothing much happens there. But all of that it about to change when one strange event, leads to one of the people unraveling a mystery that related to that strange event. Total Drama belongs to Teletoon and Fresh TV.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: For the longest time, I've been wanting to be apart of the Total Drama fanfic community for awhile now. I love the show ever since it came on Cartoon Network. It was a show that was always been in my heart ever since I watched the first episode, and ever since then, I love it. **

**For awhile now, I've been wanting to make a story off of the show. But make it rather dark than the bright show that it is. As well as it having a bit of a mystery to it, as well as some horror elements to it. Almost like the London episode of World Tour, but a little bit more. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

The outdoors area was dark and stormy, like it has been lately...

In a small secluded town in Canada, there was nobody roaming the streets, nobody driving in the street, and nobody awake. It was rather silent tonight, since it wasn't really a busy night for anyone around, really. Some were awake in their homes, doing whatever they want, nobody really did anything special, just what normal people really do. Like watching TV, or playing video games, or just hanging around the house, because why not? It was a usual, stormy night.

One person was staring out their window, looking at the rain hitting his window. The man has brown hair, with tan skin. He was wearing a dark blue short-sleeved shirt with a red vest, as well as beige shorts.

This is Noah. He is one of the townspeople who lives in this town. He was one of the people who recently graduated college, and has been trying to find what kind of job is around town. He was hoping to get either the library job, or maybe even the town hall, helping Mayor Hatchet with paperwork. But then again, Mayor Hatchet has that one weirdo, Topher to be his assistant. So Noah doesn't really know about that job. Hell, he doesn't even know what kind of job that he is going to get now that he has graduated. He can only wait and wonder.

He went over to sit down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He was about to just drift off to sleep, only to hear the sound of his phone ringing on the nightstand nearby. Noah sits up, feeling rather frightened by the ringing of his phone, until he realized that the noise was his phone.

Picking up his phone, Noah picks up the phone, looking at who was calling him right now. Not really a surprise to him, he saw that it was Cody. A close friend to him that he met back in college. He is somebody that he often plays video games with, or read comic books with, or talk to each other, and all that other stuff. He decided to answer the phone, still laying down on his bed.

"Hello, Cody." Noah said on the phone. "What's going on?"

"Hey Noah. I was seeing how things are with you." Cody said on the phone. "It's just been awhile since we've talked to each other, like...what, a month now? What's been on your mind recently?"

"Oh, it's been a month since we've talked? Oh damn, sorry Cody. I've been busy with...well...trying to get a job. I mean...it's been hard for me since most of us graduated college, and..." Noah was almost at a lost for words, trying to explain himself to Cody about how he was feeling. "Damn it...I wish I didn't feel like this right now."

"Hey. Chill out, dude. I get it, I've been having a bit of trouble myself." Cody groans, before continuing with what he's been going through. "I mean, Sierra was judgmental with every suggestion that I ask her about what job I should get. Like when I said I should try working at the super market, she rants on and on about how the super market screwed her over by sending her to the dairy section when she was looking for cookie dough."

"You dating Sierra now? Thought you didn't like her all that much?"

"I didn't back then. But after we've talked things out during our trip down to New York City, we felt like we should be together."

"Guessing you went off to New York City throughout last month, huh?"

"Yeah. Sorry I never mentioned it to you."

"It's alright...it's alright...I've been in my own head about...life, still."

Laying there still, Noah turns his head towards the window. He could only hear the sound of the rain hitting the window, nothing more, nothing less. He sighed, before looking back up at the ceiling. He continued to talk to his friend.

"So what about Gwen? I haven't heard about her recently? She okay?" Noah asked her. "How does she feel about you dating Sierra?"

"I tried to go out with her the day before graduation, but then she...ignored me..." Cody said. "Also, she has that Trent guy. So I just...gave up."

"Damn, sorry to hear."

"Yeah well...screw it. If she's going to date somebody else who's not me, I'm not going to take anymore changes of trying to get together with her." Noah felt bad, hearing Cody's angry voice on the other line. He knew Cody wasn't too happy with Trent and Gwen dating. "Speaking of girls, what girl are you with?" Cody then chuckles. "Now that I think of it...what about that Emma girl?"

"What?!" Noah asked, rather shocked.

"That girl with the long black hair, orange shirt, you know? The one who has that twin sister, Kitty?"

"Oh shut up about that, Cody! It's bad enough that I had to deal with Owen going on and on about me liking her and all that crap, but..."

Noah stopped himself. He knew he couldn't deny that he has a crush on a random girl named Emma. The girl was just as smart, has the same likes just like he does. Whenever somebody asks him if he likes Emma, he always denies that he does. He sighed, before shaking his head.

"Sorry Cody. But my crushes and relationships, my business." Noah said.

"Sorry, just teasing you." Cody said, chuckling a bit more.

"Yeah, well, laugh all you..."

Just as he was about to mock Cody back, he heard the sound of a man screaming outside of the house. Noah was spooked by the sound of that scream outside. He had no idea who it was screaming, but he had to find out.

Noah stood up, before running over to the window. Nobody was outside. It makes sense, since the scream sounded like it was out in the distance rather than nearby. Noah ran over to the coat rack next to the door out, and places on his rain coat, then picks up the umbrella next to the desk. He decided to end the call with Cody so that he has to see what's going on outside.

"Got to run now, Cody! I'll talk to you later! Right now, somebody screamed outside!" Noah said.

"What?!" Cody asked in shock.

"Can't talk! I'll talk soon!"

* * *

Running outside of his house, Noah ran through the rain, trying to find out who screamed out here. It was a bit too dark for him to see anything, so he pulls out his phone, turning on his flashlight. He ran through the gates, heading out to the middle of the road.

Still, nobody was in sight...

Noah was still worried, scared, and so many other words that he can't describe. He then heard the man's voice screaming out in the distance once again. This time, the voice sounded a lot more pained and agonized. Noah could make out the words that he said from the distance.

"Help me!" The man screams.

The screamed sounded like it was located in the neighborhood park...

Noah ran towards the park. He shines his flashlight inside the park, before hopping over the metal fence that was surrounding the block. After he was inside the park's grassy area, he shines his flashlight out to the playground spot of the park, wondering if the scream was coming from there, only to see nobody was there. Noah ran over to it anyway.

He investigated the area, wondering who was screaming. He looks towards the merry-go-round. Nobody. He looks over to the swing-set. Nothing. He went to the jungle gym. Nothing as well. He then looks at the castle of slides, before climbing onto it, seeing if the person was there. But there was nobody around it.

But the man's voice was out in the distance once again...

"Go away...go away, please..." The man said.

Noah looks out into the distance, seeing the man was crawling on the grass. But when Noah shines the flashlight on the man, it really shocked him. The man has spiky orange hair, a white tank-top, blue messy jeans, and black boots. By the looks of it, his leg appears to be bleeding. Noah was about to climb off the castle so that he can help him, only to see another person coming towards him.

Noah couldn't see who the man was, but knew only one thing. He had a crowbar in his hands, which Noah could make out in the shadows. This gave the boy every reason to go into the crawl tube that was connecting the two slide castles. He shines the phone's light out of one of the holes on the left side of the tube, and watched everything that was happening. Noah couldn't do anything aside from stay in his spot, staying out of sight, and watching everything that was happening out there. He could only sit there and watch.

"Come on...you don't have to do this...please..." The man with the white tank-top said.

The sound of a bang was heard, as Noah looks away from the sight of the unknown man whacking the orange hair in the forehead, knocking him out. After looking out of the hole one again, Noah takes notice that the man who knocked out the white tank-top man was now dragging away the latter. Noah held his own mouth, making sure that he doesn't say anything to him, nor cough, nor sneeze, nor make any sort of sound when he was trying to stay hidden. All he could do was watch as the orange-haired man was being dragged away from the park.

'_What the hell did I just witnessed out there? I swear to God that that man is dead. He's DEAD!_' Noah said in his thoughts. '_I feel like I shouldn't have even seen something like that. That was just...oh my God..._'

Noah sat there for about an hour, since he didn't want to take changes of making a break for his own house after seeing something like that. He didn't even know if that guy was still even lurking around the park still. He was too scared to even move after experiencing something like that. But after a couple of minutes of sitting there, Noah ran straight home.


	2. Chapter 2

The very next day...

Noah woke up the next day, remembering what has happened last night. It felt like nothing more but a nightmare, but in actuality, it was real. He would know that it was a nightmare, or a dream, or whatever. He knew damn well that it was all real. He knew that it he saw somebody dragging away some guy at the playground. He wish it really was a dream.

Feeling scared out of his mind, he went off and try to go through his daily life. All the while, he gave Cody a call so that he can try to see if he can meet up with him so that they can talk. Cody told Noah to meet up with him at the town's library. So Noah went off, ate breakfast, showered, got dressed, and all the other stuff too. Then, he was off to the library.

Once he arrived at the library, Noah walked into the building, looking around, trying to find Cody. He looks around the place, unsure with where his best friend is in this place. That was until he finally found upstairs, where Cody was sitting on one of the benches near a window.

Cody has brown flat hair, with a yellow shirt with a couple lines in the middle, as well as blue jeans, as well as green sneakers. Seeing his best friend, Noah walked over to him so that they can finally talk about the whole situation that Noah was a witness to.

"Cody. It's about time we meet each, face to face once again." Noah said with his hands in his pockets. Cody stood up from the bench, smiling at his best friend.

"Same here." Cody said. "So what's up?"

"What?"

"The thing that you went through last night. You ended the call, rather abruptly. So...what happened?"

Noah blinked a couple times, unsure what to even say about last night. He had no idea if Cody will even believe him on this one, considering all that happened last night felt like it all went by in a flash. But, considering that he was always a truthful kind of guy at times, he had to just say it straight up anyway. So that's what Noah did. He was blunt about it.

"Right, what happened about it." Noah said. "Well, that scream that happened last night. I went out of my house, into the rain, and...I made it to the playground. Then I saw something that...you'll find this ridiculous, but...somebody, orange hair, white tank-top, getting attacked and kidnapped by some guy." Cody blinked a couple times, hoping that his friend was joking.

"This isn't serious?" Cody asked, starting to sound worried. He really didn't want Noah to be serious on this one, but by the looks of his face, he looked like he really means it.

"I'm being serious, Cody. I wouldn't be asking you here...urgently, mind you...and tell you this in person. I literately saw some guy get attacked by some unknown figure, and...I really don't know who it is, or what to do about it." Cody threw his hands up in the air, deciding the best answer on this one.

"Then we go to the cops on this! Some guy got his ass kicked by some...guy, the first thing I'd do is go off to the cops."

"They will think I'm making stuff up. I have no evidence of this happening."

"That whole time you were there, and the first thing you didn't do was try to get a picture of it? Noah, I thought you were smarter than this!" Noah looks over to the window, before looking at Cody again. "Anyways, now what? We have nothing to go about what happened last night, so now what?"

"I don't know. That's really all I got for you."

"Great. Some guy gets attacked, and you don't know. Fantastic." Cody sat down on the bench once again, holding his own forehead. "Storm ends, and already something bad happens to somebody! What the hell are we going to do now?!"

"First of you, you stay quiet. Because one, nobody needs to hear of this, and two...this is a library." Noah said, before sitting next to Cody. "Look, I don't know what we are going to do, I don't know anything about the guy who got attacked last night. All I know was that he has orange hair, and he had a white tank-top."

"Well, that narrows it down to...whoever in town has orange hair."

"For God's sake, Cody. Quit it with the sarcasm. We can..."

"Hey guys..." A girl's voice said nearby.

Looking in front of them, Noah and Cody saw a friend of theirs that graduated with them from college. She has short black hair, with some teal highlights in them, as well as some black lipstick and eye-shadow. She also has a jungle green t-shirt with a black vest over it, as well as a black skirt with dark gray leggings.

This girl is Gwen. One of the town's goth girls. Or, just a loner who is into all things goth, if you will. She isn't truly friends with Cody or Noah, but has been talking with them on occasions. She doesn't really like Cody, since he attempted to try to get her to date him on a lot of occasions. Noah on the other hand, he and Gwen don't really talk all that much. She was holding her phone out, looking a bit concerned about something.

"Hey Gwen." Cody said, standing up. "I guess that you heard about me and Sierra, huh? Well, all I can say is..." Gwen held up a hand, shaking her head in disinterest.

"Uh, no. I am not here to hear you brag and make me jealous." Gwen said, bitterly. "I am here because...I got a text from a friend of mine, Duncan. He told me that one of his friends, Scott, disappeared last night during the storm."

Noah made the connection here. That guy he saw last night, the one being attacked. He had a feeling that that guy was, presumingly, Scott. Who else could that guy's name be aside from that? Cody and Noah were both shocked hearing this being said. This made Noah ask Gwen about this.

"What does Scott look like, Gwen? What was he like?" Noah asked. Gwen places her phone in her back pocket, before talking to the usually sarcastic man.

"Scott is this farmer that Duncan is friends with." Gwen said. "A troublemaker like Duncan, obviously...along with Jo, Lightning, and Alejandro. Scott was out in the town late last night, only going to the hardware store to collect a crowbar to help open the basement door whenever it's stuck, as Duncan said. Only for that night for him to just...disappear." Gwen shook her head, disturbed by what Duncan told her. "Duncan, nor his other friends heard from him all morning, up to the point where Detective McLean had to be informed about this."

"This...Scott guy, did he have orange hair?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Noah just blinked a couple times, unsure what to say. "I just...guessed, really. I guess back in college, Duncan and his group bullied me and Cody a lot, that...I only saw the others one or twice, rather than...that punk himself..."

"I see." Gwen said, before looking down at her phone again. "It's just...freaky that something like this happened."

"Well, I'm sure Detective McLean is going to be on the case on this one." Noah said, before muttering to himself, rather anxiously. "If not, then may God be with us if this happens again." Gwen and Cody looked at each other with worried expressions, before Cody attempted to lighten up the mood.

"You know what? I believe that what happened last night is getting us all spooked." Cody said, holding up his hands in defense. "Say Gwen, why don't you, me, and Noah go out...and hang out at a...burger place around here? How does that sound?" Gwen narrows her eyes at Cody, not amused by this idea.

"Or how about I go find Trent, by myself, and then go out to the burger place with him instead?" Gwen asked him.

"Yes!" Cody said, smiling in confidence, not even realizing what Gwen just said. It wasn't until seconds later, he realized what Gwen just said. "Wait, what?"

"That is exactly what I thought you were going to say." Gwen looks over to Noah. "I'll see you guys later. I must head off to meet up with Trent now."

"Bye Gwen." Noah said, waving his hand at her.

"Bye Noah."

As Gwen walked away from the two boys, Cody glares over to Noah, unhappy that he was talking to his former crush. "What? You have Sierra." Noah sighed, before rolling his eyes. "You know what? I'll catch you later." Cody crossed his arms, shaking his head, as Noah walked away from the library.

* * *

Back with Gwen...

The goth was heading off to her house, pulling her phone out as she went over to the bus stop. She was somewhat friends with Duncan. Not much of his other friends. Jo was too rough and demanding, Lightning talks about himself too much, Alejandro attempted to try to date her while she was wanting Trent as her boyfriend instead, Scott...well, she wasn't truly friends with him, since he's often at his farm. But she was friends with Duncan out of all of them.

Sitting down on the bus stop bench, Gwen was able to get in contact with Duncan. When he answered the phone, he was anything but his usual snarky self. He sounded a lot more angry than he usually is. Duncan spoke.

"Hello?! Who the hell is this?!" Duncan asked in an angry tone on the phone.

"Duncan, it's me." Gwen said, keeping a level head as she talked to him. Hearing Gwen's voice made Duncan calm down. "I was wanting to see how things are with you right now. By the sound of your voice, I...guess you figured out about what happened last night..."

"I go to the farm to see how Scott's been doing, only for his parents to tell me that he just randomly disappeared all night. I literately looked all over town after, and still no sign of him. I mean, Jo, Lightning, nor Alejandro saw him recently. I just don't even know, Gwen. I just don't know."

"I get that you're angry, Duncan. I get it." Gwen sighed, before looking off to the left, seeing no sign of the bus. She rolled her eyes, before continuing to talk to her friend. "What are you going to do about all of this?"

"Well, what else? Go to Mayor Hatchet, complain to him about this."

"That seems rash. For all you know, Scott is probably playing some prank on you."

"Why would that guy pull a prank on me and my three other friends? If he did, one, he's never good at it, and two, we'd kick his sorry ass until he wishes that he was living in the countryside down in America. So none of that adds up, Gwen."

"Just a suggestion."

"I know. But even assuming a prank wouldn't make sense for him to do a prank, or run out of town. He might not be the luckiest guy in town, but he still had a good life around here. He has good friends, he has a a roof over his head, and he was going to tell his crush that he's in love with her this coming weekend. So none of this makes any sort of sense." Duncan sighed, before speaking again. "I honest to God hope that he can do something about all of this, before who knows what will happen next. More deaths, more bullshit that nobody wants to endure, whatever."

"So you think complaining to Mayor Hatchet is going to do something?"

"Hopefully. He is responsible for all the bullshit that happens in this town anyway. So if I go up and complain to him about all of this..."

"You'd probably get your answer."

"Not exactly."

"Look, Duncan, if I were you, I'd first calm down and take a breath before you do something as rash as this. Okay? You're already out of college, and the last thing you need is to have the mayor throw you in prison for yelling at him, nonsensically." Duncan was silent for a couple moments, until he finally spoke again.

"Man, how is talking to you able to make me feel relaxed?"

"Maybe because...I just am." Gwen giggles, before standing up as the bus arrives. "Anyways, I have to return home now, Duncan. I'll talk to you later."

"Later, Gwen."


	3. Chapter 3

Elsewhere...

Hearing about what has happened to Scott, one boy was walking through the town, heading straight to the town hall, ready to complain to the Mayor about this. The man in question having a green mohawk with a couple piercings on, he was also wearing a black t-shirt with a skull on the front of it, as well as baggy dark blue jeans.

This guy is the man Gwen was talking about, Duncan. Long story short, the guy is a bully, and a total bad boy. He mainly goes after Cody, Noah, or a couple other guys from the college, like Harold, Sam, or Cameron. He hangs out with Jo, Lightning, Alejandro, and Scott because to him, they were rather cool people to hang out with. Or now that Scott was missing, he no longer hangs out with him now.

Speaking of Scott, Duncan was heading his way to the town hall, heading to complain to the mayor about this. Usually when problems occur, he'd technically ignores them. But considering that he's friends with Scott, he had every reason to storm up to the mayor and complain this to him.

Arriving at the town hall, Duncan heads up the steps, heading over to the two doors. He balled up his fist, ready to knock on the door. Then he pounds on it, yelling for Mayor Hatchet to come out so that he can complain to him about what happened. But instead of Mayor Hatchet, it was a completely different person.

This guy has slightly tan or orange hair with a couple spikes up front, with a dark blue t-shirt with a dark green line in the middle, as well as navy blue jeans. This guy is Topher, he wanted to be the assistant to Detective McLean, but the college told him to go and help Mayor Hatchet instead. Mainly because McLean found Topher pretty annoying.

"Can I help you?" Topher asked. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to talk to the mayor! That's why!" Duncan said, pointing at the boy in front of him. "I want to know if he's heard of Scott disappearing!"

"Hold the phone there, pal! If you're going to talk to the mayor, you are not aloud to confront him with that kind of behavior." Topher then pulls out a notebook out of his back pocket, and then a pen. He glares at Duncan, mood showing that he was not going to deal with his anger. "Now tell me what your problem is, and then I'll tell Mayor Hatchet." Duncan rolled his eyes.

"Fine...if you really must know. Scott, a farmer from the countryside in the forest area went into the town, and then disappeared. I honestly don't know how or...why it happened, it just did. So can you please tell that mayor friend of yours to do something about that." Duncan hands Topher a photo of what Scott looked like after writing all of this down on the notebook he was carrying.

"I'll get right on that."

"Now wait..."

Before Duncan could say anything, Topher slams the door in Duncan's face. The delinquent punk was about to go after Topher, but when he grabbed onto the door handle, he realized that it was locked. This caused Duncan to groan in annoyance, and then walk off, not wanting to deal with yelling at a door.

Inside the town hall, Topher walked through the town hall, heading to the mayor's office. He went through the lobby, then went upstairs, and then through the hallway of offices, until he finally made it to the Mayor's office. He knocked on the door, getting the attention of the mayor inside.

"Come in!" The mayor shouts inside the office.

Topher goes inside the office, seeing Mayor Hatchet sitting at his desk, looking at an open laptop on it. The mayor was pretty bulky and had dark skin. He also appears to have a bit of a mustache and small beard below his lower lip. He also wore a buttoned-down beige dress shirt with black dress pants. He also had on black loafer shoes. He use to be a daycare worker, then a chef, and now, he was mayor. So far, things in the town have been easy for him to handle. Maybe until now. Mayor Hatchet looks away from his laptop, looking at Topher.

"Topher. Who was at the door? I heard yelling." Mayor Hatchet asked him.

"He's some punk. I don't know." Topher said. "But anyway, he said that a problem occurred recently in the neighborhood. It involves some guy named Scott disappearing for some reason."

"Somebody disappeared?!"

"That's what he said."

"Is this man still here?"

"Sadly, no. But if I were to try to find the guy, I can." Topher then tosses the notebook on the desk, placing it closer to him. "Unless this is some sort of sick joke, or prank or whatever, I don't know what to make of this." Mayor Hatchet reads the notebook to himself, before looking at the photo Duncan gave Topher. "So what are we going to do about this, Mayor Hatchet?"

"I believe I have one idea. I have to make a call, can you please step out of my office for a couple minutes?" Topher sighed, before nodding his head.

"Alright. I will." After Topher left the office, Mayor Hatchet picks up his phone, placing down a number into it.

* * *

Meanwhile...

In a random office, in a random building out in the North part of the town, a desk stood in the middle of a dark office. There was a chair that was facing away from the chair, as the only light in the office was the light from the window. There was no sound, except for the sound of silence throughout the majority of the room. But the silence was gone after the phone was heard ringing.

From the darkness, a hand came out and pulls the phone to himself. The chair slowly turns around, pulling himself closer to the desk so that he can talk to the Mayor Hatchet a lot more better.

He turns on the lamp that was on the desk, lighting up the area that was around him, revealing that the man has black hair, with a slightly shaven beard on his face. He also had a dark gray fedora on his head with a trench-coat of the same color, as well as a dark blue buttoned-down shirt underneath, as well as navy blue jeans. Once he turned around, facing the desk, he finally spoke.

"Man, I almost didn't see my phone in this darkness. MacArthur honestly needs to fix the light-bulbs that are in this room." The man said. "Anyways, who may this be?"

"Ah, Chris, glad to see that you're working right now." Mayor Hatchet said on the phone. "I don't want to alarm you on this, apparently there appears to be a boy who disappeared last night."

"A disappeared kid, huh? Who is he?"

"Uh...orange hair, looks like a farmer...his name is Scott. Topher told me some guy told him all about this, but aside from the boy who came to the town hall, there doesn't appear to be any sort of evidence on this."

"Aside from the one guy who told that Topher guy. Who is this guy who said this?"

"I don't know, only Topher saw him. Not me."

"Figures..." Detective McLean turns his chair around, facing the window, before speaking some more. "Well, considering that you mentioned something about this Scott guy being a farmer, or at the very least, someone who is probably living on a farm or something, I believe that I'll try to find some sort of farm to see where Scott went off to last night."

"As long as you got this under control, McLean."

"Mayor Hatchet, please, I believe I know what I'm doing when it comes to solving a mystery like this." Chris then stood up from the chair he was sitting on, walking up to the window, looking out of it. "Just let me handle all of this, and I'm sure Scott will turn out to be alright. I'll talk to you later. Right now, I need to think to myself while I'm in here."

"If you say so, Chris. I'll be calling again soon."

"Thank you."

The sound of the mayor hanging up was heard on the other line on the phone. Chris places the phone back down, before continuing to look out the window with his hands behind his back. He didn't say anything, nor did he do anything. He just stood there, staring out the window, glaring out into the street and trees that were outside the police station.

After standing there for a couple minutes, Chris spoke, not removing his eyes off of the window. "MacArthur! I believe you need to fix the lights that are in this room! We talked about this!" Chris shouts.

"Sorry, Detective McLean! I'll drive to the hardware store now!" A raspy female voice shouts from downstairs.

"Yes, yes. Now...I must think to myself, as I'm staring out this window." Chris said to himself, still looking out the window.


	4. Chapter 4

Back with Noah again, he went back home so that he can think to himself. All Noah did when arrived back home, he sat down in his living room, watching TV to himself, silently. Cody went off, most likely to Sierra, or something, who even knows on Noah's part. But that's all the boy really knows.

Sitting there for about two hours now, Noah continued to watch TV. Then his phone started to ring in the dining room. Noah turns off the TV, and headed over to the dining room to see who was calling him right now. He wondered who was calling him right now, considering that he wasn't expecting anyone to call him at the moment. He picks up the phone, seeing that it was a good friend of his, Emma.

Even though this was rather unexpected, he was happy enough to talk to Emma on the phone anytime, any day. He found her the prettiest girl who could ever be in a town like this. Or, this girl is his second crush anyway. Before, he had a crush on a girl in his college, Courtney. She was like him, studious, smart, wise, and liked most of the stuff he likes too. The only real problem to him was her bossy behavior towards others, but he could tolerate that, while most don't. But, she's with Duncan, which he hated. To think a girl like that is really with a trouble-making jerk like Duncan. Noah sighed, remembering those college times. All seems like distant memories to him now.

So Noah picks up the phone, answering Emma's call. "Hello? Noah, I hope I'm not bothering you at the moment." A girl's voice, who is Emma, said on the phone.

"Oh no, Emma, you're not bothering me right now. You're calling me when I'm...just not doing anything, honestly." Noah said, feeling a bit nervous, talking to his new crush on the phone. "So...why are you calling me at this time?"

"Oh, Kitty is pestering me about hanging out at that one park with the river, near the forest. Probably tomorrow." Noah leans on the table, listening to Emma talking some more. "She was asking if she could bring you along, as well as Cody." Noah didn't say anything, until Emma spoke again. "Are you still there, Noah?"

"What?! Oh, sorry Emma! I...almost didn't hear you there!" Noah said, rather nervously, before rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know about Cody, because...you know, if he's hanging out with friends...he'll have to bring Sierra. And you know how a girl like Sierra can be, right?"

"Is Sierra that one tall girl with the braid?"

"Yeah. That's the girl."

"Right. I forgot those two are dating. I don't mean to say something like this, but I question what Cody sees in that girl, now that he's dating her." Noah chuckles, before sitting down at the dining room table.

"Don't worry, Emma. I question the same exact thing as well. I also question what a couple people I know are into..." Noah said, before muttering that last part. Emma unfortunately heard that last part.

"You said something?"

"What?! No! I didn't say anything!"

'_Damn it! I must really sound like an absolute fool to her!_' Noah said in his thoughts. He took a deep breath, making sure he's a little more calmer before speaking some more to his crush.

"Sorry. Things could be a little bit better than they should today...and last night..." Noah said, scratching the back of his head. "Hey...uh...I think, since Cody would probably be with Sierra, I'll try to find somebody else to come along with me. I'll...probably see if Harold, Sam, Cameron, or Mike to come along with me. I'm still friends with those guys, so...maybe it would be nice for you guys to meet some of the people I use to go to college with."

"I guess that won't be too bad." After a couple seconds later, Emma was silent. Then, she spoke again. "Hey, Noah. The car's pulling up to my driveway, I'll talk to you later tonight. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah. Totally."

"Alright. I'll see you later, Noah."

"Bye." After that was all said and done, Noah hangs up the phone.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Duncan, while his parents were out of town for a couple months, he occasional invites his friends to come and visit. Those friends being Jo, Alejandro, and Lightning. The four of them usually just hang out around the living room, talk to each other, or watch TV together. Just the usual friend stuff.

Jo's their only friend who's female. She's got the short slightly light brown hair, with a dark gray sweat-shirt, as well as dark blue sports pants. She, back during college, was often seen around the gym building, as well as hanging out with Eva. But none of the boys talk about the girl mentioned.

Lightning is the guy with the short black hair, and is wearing a dark blue football jersey with beige shorts. He is one of the school's jocks who hangs out with Duncan a lot. Duncan doesn't really like him as a friend too much, probably because Lightning is full of himself whenever the other three are around him.

Last but not least, Alejandro, he is the guy with the dark brown hair with a small beard below his lower lip. He wore a red buttoned-down shirt, as well as dark gray pants. He recently came from Spain, heading off to Canada, feeling like the college over there since he felt like the studies were better for him. He basically tried to get every single girl that was around the college, and tried to even stole some girlfriends from boyfriends in throughout his time in college. He stopped after dating a girl named Heather from said college.

Sitting there watching TV silently to themselves, nobody was really talking to each other. It was at that point, the sound of the door knocking on the door. Duncan went over to the front door, wondering who it was right now. Upon opening the door, it was Detective McLean.

"Uh...can I help you, sir?" Duncan asked, rather confused.

"It's officer, or detective. But mostly detective." Chris said, pulling out a pencil from his jacket pocket, then twirling it in his hand, before pulling out a notebook. "I was told by a person that you were a friend of Scott. Are you?"

"Uh...yeah. Why do you even ask?"

"Because I was wanting to talk to Scott's friends, wondering what happened that night." Chris then pokes Duncan on his shoulder with the pen in his hand. "I believe YOU are Duncan? That guy that Topher talked to at the town hall, and was a bit of a scumbag to him?" Duncan rolled his eyes, before Chris spoke some more. "Uh, don't give me that eye roll, buddy. This is serious work that I'm doing! Now will you allow me into this house so that I can question you and your friends?"

"Alright, alright! Come on in!" Duncan said in a defensive manner.

Duncan walked into the dining room. He told Jo, Lightning, and Alejandro to come into the room with him and Chris so this little sit-down can start. Chris places the notebook down on the table, before sitting on the chair to the far right. The other four took random seats at the table. Then, their talk began.

"Alright. So...Scott's parents told me that at least four of his friends were you...four." Chris started off saying, before looking down at his notebook. "Now, let me ask, girl, you're Jo?" Jo nods. "Dude with the muscles, Lightning?"

"You bet, dude." Lightning said, before patting his own arm.

"Yeah...okay. Alejandro is the...red shirt there?" Alejandro nods his head. "And...that leads the guy with the mohawk to be...Duncan. Okay?" Chris opens his notebook, then spoke some more. "Now, from what I got out of Scott's parents, I was told that their farm's fence broke the other day because of...a possible coyote, or a possible wolf. So he, Scott, went out to the hardware store to collect some wood. I now must ask to see if this is true, or only here-say?" Duncan raises an eyebrow, unsure what that meant.

"Uh, how would we know if Scott was at the hardware store?" Duncan asked. "He was alone when he disappeared."

"I wanted to make sure that you four were not involved with his disappearance. Now who has a mother or father who works at said hardware store?" Jo raises a hand, before Chris points at her. "Okay. I knew I say somebody with the same hair as you."

"Well...technically, my uncle works there, but...yeah." Jo said.

"Alright. Alright." Chris then closes the notebook. "From what I asked from the hardware store, I was told by them that none of them saw a guy with orange hair, and a white tank-top at their store that night. In fact, it was closed last night too. So it seems like Scott disappeared...after ten in the evening. So...I believe that Scott was alone?" The four nodded their heads. "I guess I'm going to have to ask people if they saw him walking the neighborhood then. Because by the looks of it, it doesn't really appear that anyone was near Scott when he disappeared. Which makes this a lot more harder."

"There's got to be somebody near Scott when he disappeared. It seems ridiculous that nobody was near him, nor saw him when he was out there." Lightning said. "Come to think of it, where did he disappear at? I don't think the location was said?"

"That we are unsure of." Chris stood up from the chair he was sitting on. "If I hear anymore information about Scott's disappearance, I'll inform you as well as his parents. But you guys last, since you don't appear to be too worried about Scott."

"Well, to be fair, he is a prick most of the time." Jo mutters.

"Not the time, Jo." Alejandro mutters to the sporty girl near him.

"Sorry. But it's true." She mutters again.

"Look. I got important things to do now. I must be getting back to my office so that I can figure out what to do about this whole Scott situation." Chris said, placing the notebook back into his trench-coat. "I must warn you now. Since I was told that you five are apparently troublemakers, as Topher made apparent to me, if this is a prank, I'll tell you what will happen. First, I will laugh, because if Scott's hiding somewhere else in town alive and well, I'll laugh. But then I'll throw all five of you in jail because pranking the detective is still against the rules."

"If this was a prank, would I walk up to the town hall ready to kick that Topher guy's ass if he didn't move out of the way of that building's door?" Duncan asked, in a harsh manner.

"Doubt it." Chris walks over to the front door, holding onto the knob. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on the case now. Bye."

Chris exits the house, leaving the four of them by themselves once again. Duncan shook his head, annoyed that Chris really assumed that this was all some sort of sick prank. If it really was, then Duncan will surely beat the shit out of Scott if this was true. But Duncan knew for a fact that this was not true. He knew Scott wouldn't mess around with him and his group like this. All of this was way too much for the guy. Really, it was.

"So...anyone want to watch more TV?" Duncan asked in a distressed tone of voice. The other three didn't say anything, but nodded their heads in a silent agreement, then headed into the living room.


	5. Chapter 5

Out of complete nowhere...

Noah had his eyes closed. But after he realizes this, he opens his eyes, looking around the new location that he was in. He noticed that the room around him was completely dark, and nothing was visible to his eyes. Hell, he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his own face how dark it really is. Noah was unable to move, since he had no idea where he even was right now. He was too scared to even walk.

There was nothing but silence around here. The darkness around him was nothing more but silent, and eerie. It was scaring Noah. He tried to speak, but he was too scared to speak as well. Just as he was about to have enough courage to speak, he heard somebody's else's voice.

He looks over to the left, hearing a voice from that direction. "Noah...Noah..." It was Scott's voice. That same agonized voice that Noah heard from the incident at the park the other night.

Looking towards the direction of Scott's voice, Noah wasn't expecting to notice that there was the same guy standing right there. Scott, however, looked like he was a zombie. He had no eyes, and he had no hair on his head. Noah blinked a couple times, scared out of his mind.

"Uh...Scott..." Noah said, stepping backwards, in fear.

"You were there...you didn't do anything to save me..." Scott said, voice agonized and choppy. "Why did you not save me back when you had the change? You could've saved me back at the playground, but you didn't..."

"I...I didn't know what to do! I swear!"

"You are a coward! A COWARD!"

"I didn't mean to not do anything, I was scared that night! I had no idea what to even do!"

"You were there and only your best friend knows! You told nobody...why didn't should've done something, and told somebody to help me!"

"Please, Scott! I'm not to blame for what happened to you! I was scared, and...I never been in a situation like that before, and..."

"You are a COWARD! **YOU NOW MUST** **PAY THE PRICE...**"

Falling backwards, Noah attempted to run off, backwards, only to be unable to move. He turns around, only to be grabbed by his ankle by the scary zombified Scott. Noah tried to escape the zombie's grip, only for Scott to be a lot more stronger than him, which led to Noah being dragged off into the darkness, screaming in fear and pain as he was being pulled away.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Noah screams...

...Only to wake up...

Noah throws himself, sitting up in his bed. He was breathing heavily, looking around his bedroom, realizing that it was all just a nightmare, and nothing more. He blinked a couple times, tears nearly filling up his eyes as he was sitting up. Noah rubs his eyes, before standing up from his bed, and heading towards his bathroom.

The boy held onto both sides of the sink, looking down into it, as he was trying to think to himself. He had no idea what to even make of that nightmare. It happened so fast. He turns the sink on, and then splashes some water into his face, trying to calm himself down by doing that. Once Noah was regained himself, the boy stood back up, and then dries his face off with the nearby towel.

'_Damn it...Scott was in my dream. Or at least, I think that's Scott._' Noah said in his thoughts. '_Why did he just show up in my nightmare last night? It's true that I was too scared to do anything that night, and the only other person who knows about me being at the scene of the crime is...Cody, unless he ended up telling Sierra or Gwen without me knowing about it. But when he says that it's all my fault...is it really my fault? I was too scared to do anything. I never been in a situation like that before._' Noah held onto his forehead, before going out of the bathroom. '_But if Scott's alive..._'

Before Noah could think even further about Scott's disappearance, he heard the sound of his phone ringing on his nightstand. He walked over to the phone, before picking it up, and seeing that it was Emma. He slaps himself in the forehead, before nearly screaming to himself.

'_Crap! I thought that it would be Cody this time. I completely forgotten that I had to go hang out with Emma this morning._' Noah said in his thoughts, before picking up his phone. '_I hope she's not too pissed off at me for missing a couple of minutes with her and Kitty._'

Picking up the phone, Noah spoke aloud. "Hi Emma. It's me, Noah. I...guess you're wondering where I am right now, huh?"

"Well, if you overslept, that's fine. Honest mistake." Emma said on the phone. "Me and Kitty actually arrived at the spot that I was talking about, and I..." Emma sounded rather fearful at the end there. Noah took notice of that.

"You what?"

"You have to see this. If I told you right now, I don't think you'd believe me..." Noah didn't say anything for a couple seconds, until he nodded his head.

"Okay, Emma. I'll come to your spot."

"Thank you, Noah." After Noah hung up the phone, he ran out of his bedroom, pulling a dark blue jacket off of his coat rack, ready to head out.

* * *

Thankfully for Noah, he was able to get Cody to come along with him to the spot where Kitty and Emma were located at. The two of them were walking down the sidewalk, heading off to the left side of the neighborhood area, where the river was connecting at. Along the way there, Noah was telling Cody all about the nightmare that he had last night.

"Scott was talking to you?" Cody asked him.

"Yeah. He just...appeared in my nightmare, and...talked to me, blaming me for his disappearance." Noah said. "I mean...I...have no idea what to even think of it. I never had a nightmare like THAT before. I mean...what can you make out of a dream that like?" Cody points at himself.

"Me? You had the nightmare. I didn't. What do you think of it?"

"I...I don't know...I mean, apart of me just...blames myself for what has happened to Scott. Him disappearing and...who the fuck knows where he is in this town, and I am stuck, wondering if he's dead or alive." Noah shook his head, before blinking a couple times, face filling with worry. "I just don't know Cody. I really don't know. Apart of me feels responsible about what has happened."

"Noah, don't blame yourself. None of this is on you."

"Yeah well..."

"I see Emma and Kitty, they are over there."

Cody points towards the grassy area at the end of the sidewalk, where two girls were standing around at. One of the two girls has long black hair, a dark orange jacket and yellow t-shirt, as well as blue jeans. The other girl has black hair, but in two ponytails, as well as a red polo-shirt with a black skirt, and black shoes. The girl with her hair down is Emma, while the girl with ponytails is Kitty.

The two boys walked over to the two girls as they were looking at something that was in the river. Emma turns around, noticing Noah and Cody walking over to their spot. She waves at them as they came over to them.

"Noah, Cody. You're here." Emma said. "I'm sorry if my phone call worried you. But right now, I felt like calling you about this was urgent."

"Now what could be urgent?" Noah asked.

"Well...I believe you should go over to Kitty and see for yourself."

Emma points over to Kitty, who had her hand on her own mouth, staring at the river in horror. Curious, Emma stood in the same spot, as Noah and Cody went over to the sister of Noah's crush. The two boys walked over to the girl with ponytails, only to see what kind of horror that they actually saw when the phone call happened...

It was the same guy Noah saw at the park...Scott...

He appeared to be...mutilated...he was missing both of his eyes, he was missing one of his limbs, he had marks on his body that looked exactly like marks that would be from a crowbar. Scott looked like what he looked like in Noah's nightmare last night. Noah shook his head, eyes widened at the fact that he is really seeing this, in person no less.

"I...I can't believe that I'm really seeing this..." Noah mutters, scared out of his mind, once again. "This is like what I saw in my nightmare."

"You had a nightmare about this?" Kitty asked.

"I did. I saw only Scott. I didn't know that Scott was in a river or...anywhere for that matter..." Noah rubs a hand through his hair, facing away from the river, as Cody and Kitty were standing next to each other. "This cannot be happening..."

"How did somebody like this get...like this?" Kitty asked, feeling scared as much as the other three.

"Look, we should probably call the cops, like...right now." Cody said. "Does one of us has a phone on them?" Kitty pulls her cell phone out of her pocket, then opens it up.

"I do. I use mine for selfies a lot." Emma rolled her eyes, hearing that being said, before pulling her own phone out of her pocket.

"Oh forget it, I'll get the cops down here..." Emma said, ready to call the police. She places the phone next to her ear, walking over to the right, calling Detective McLean about what the four of them have discovered.

* * *

With Chris McLean now...

The guy was driving a black car, following a couple police cars that were heading out to the side of the river where the four were located at. He looked at the mirror on the front part of the inside of the car, looking at it, as he was driving. He straightens it a little, before looking forward.

He then looks down at the walkie-talkies connecting to his car radio. A couple policemen were talking to each other about what was happening out in the river location that they were going to. All he was hearing is nothing more but a couple of police going on and on about the river, and four people, and to him, nothing but nonsense. All of this was boring to him, so he decided to change the radio instead of continuing to listen to the police, bantering on the walkie-talkies. He decided to ignore the rest of the policemen talking, and sung along to '_Walk This Way_' by Areosmith as he was driving along, ignoring the other cops's bantering.

Once the group of policemen arrived at the park, Chris parks the black car he was driving, and then got out of it. He had sunglasses on as he was driving, which causes him to pull them off of his face, looking off into the distance. He then started to walk off to the spot where Noah, Cody, Emma, and Kitty were at. He then points the pen he was holding at them.

"I assume that you four were the ones who called? Right?" Chris asked them.

"Yes. We were the ones who called you." Emma said. "Or...I did, anyway. It's really hard to explain what we all just saw over there, but...you're going to have to look at it for your own."

Chris scoffs hearing the studious girl say that to him. "Oh please, now what makes you think that something like what you saw is..."

When Chris passes the four of them to see what they were seeing, he stopped himself in his own words, seeing that it was Scott that was in the river. Chris was actually taken by surprise seeing this in the river. The only feelings running in his head was fear, shock, disgust, and stunned, if that last part counts. He had no idea what to even think about this upon first sight. One cop walked over to him, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Detective McLean, sir! Are you okay?" The cop asked him. Chris shook his head, before holding up a hand.

"I-It's okay. Shut up, shut up...It's just that, I'm actually kinda shocked seeing something like this being seen in front of my face right now." Chris said, whispering to him. "Do you have an ambulance on speed dial? Because we are going to need one on this guy. Hopefully."

"Are you sure the hospital is required for him, Chris? This guy seems..."

"First, it's Detective. Second, shut up, get the ambulance, ask questions later. Third, maybe the hospital won't do anything to him, but it's only right that we bring him to the hospital." Chris then pulls out a cell phone out of his jacket pocket, handing it over to him. "Use this cell phone to call the hospital, and get them an ambulance over here, now."

"Okay, sir. Okay."

The police walked off to call the hospital. Chris then turns around, looking at the four other people who were not cops here. He walked up to them, placing his hands in his pockets, looking at the four of them.

"So...I guess you four were not friends with this guy, right?" Chris asked them. "And be honest with me. No lying, or else the only thing you'll be seeing is the bars in a cell."

"Well, not exactly." Noah said.

"I'm not." Emma said.

"Neither here." Kitty said.

"All I can say about this guy is that he is friends with four bullies who attacked me for hanging out with one of Duncan's crushes." Cody said. Chris raises an eyebrow, looking at Cody when he said that. "What? You said be honest. I'm not friends with him." Chris then writes stuff down on the notebook he was holding, then nodded his head.

"Okay, okay...I know I said that. Anyway, I believe that when the doctors get here, we will send Scott to the hospital, and we'll give you guys a call after the next day." He pats Noah on the shoulder, before facing the other way. "I believe all of us are absolutely shocked by what has been discovered in this river today. So if I were you four, I'd go home and try to calm down so that you don't get too spooked. Okay?" Noah nods his head.

"Thank you, sir." Noah said, visibly shaken. "We'll...probably do that."

"Yeah...you seem the most shaken out of the four of you guys. So...I'm just going to head off to the hospital now. I would drive you, but if you haven't noticed..." Chris points at the hospital. "...Unless you want to go to the hospital, and sit in the waiting room, bored, and the only thing you're watching is 'Days of our Lives' on the TV. You guys go rest now."

"We will, sir. Thank you for coming." Emma said.

Noah, Cody, Emma, and Kitty all went off to go off to one of their houses, as Chris turns around to the other cops that were behind him. Feeling a bit worried, Chris spoke to the many cops that came along with him.

"Now, officers, I'm not going to sugar-coat anything when I say this, so I'm going to be completely blunt to you all. What has been discovered in the river here has got to be the freakiest shit all of us has seen so far. Of course, it's only best to bring Scott to the hospital regardless, dead or alive." Chris explains to them. "This was rather unexpected for all of us to see this morning, but...I feel like it would've been expected anyway. We should all just go to the hospital anyway. We need to see if this Scott guy is going to be okay." Chris walks back over to the car he took to get here. "I will meet you all at the hospital in the north part of town." The other cops agreed on it, and they all headed off to the hospital.


	6. Chapter 6

So now that Chris was handling Scott, the other four went off to one of their houses. They decided to go off to where Emma and Kitty live since they live closer to the spot that they were at before. It was only a couple blocks from where they were at anyway.

Arriving at Emma and Kitty's house, the four noticed that the sisters's parents were probably out in the town, busy with work. They usually don't allow strangers over at their house, but considering that Noah and Cody were starting to be good friends with them, Emma and Kitty aloud it. Or Kitty aloud it, while Emma was a little hesitate with them hanging out at their home. Hopefully, their parents's work was long today.

The four friends walked into the house. Inside, the looks of the many rooms seem pretty well organized. To Cody and Noah, the sisters's house appears to be a lot more neater then both of their houses combined. Not that that's a bad thing though.

Cody went off to talk to Emma and Kitty, while Noah went around the house to see what was around here to do...

The living room didn't have too much, just a standard couple of couches, a TV, a coffee table, and a bookshelf. The kitchen was normal. The backyard had a pool, as well as a basketball hoop. There was also another room in the left side of the house, which really only had a Foosball table, and a couple folding chairs leaning on the wall. Other than that, it appears to be a storage room.

That's all for downstairs, now for Noah to go upstairs...

Noah walked up the stairs, looking around some more. There was three bedrooms. One was for the parents, one was for Kitty, and the last was for Emma. There was a couple bathrooms, as well as another storage room. Aside from those rooms, there doesn't appear to be all that much up here.

"Noah, are you upstairs?!" Emma shouts from downstairs. "If you're up there, you better not go into my bedroom!"

"I'm not! Don't worry!" Noah shouts back.

"Please come back down here! We really need to talk about what me and Kitty just witnessed this morning!"

"Alright. I'm coming!"

Noah walks back downstairs to where his other three friends are. He walked into the living room, seeing Cody sitting on the floor in front of one of the armchairs, while Emma and Kitty were sitting on one of the two couches that were in the room. Noah went to sit on the other couch that was against the wall. Once he was seated, their conversation began.

"You want to talk about what you've witnessed?" Noah asked. Kitty and Emma both nodded their heads, in unison. "What's there to talk about? We all saw the corpse of...somebody, and the cops are taking care of it. What else is there to even bring up?"

"Well, I don't want to be skeptical about the night Scott was attacked, but...Cody did mention something about you knowing something about what happened." Emma said, causing the usually-sarcastic boy to glare at his best friend.

"Really now?"

"Just be honest with them, dude." Cody said, glaring back at his best friend. "I have nothing against you keeping this secret, but at least let these two know, since they're friends with us."

Noah had no idea what to even say to Emma and Kitty. If he actually did tell them the truth about what happened the night when Scott disappeared, they will jump to some conclusion that will cause them to blame him for the event that occurred. Just like Scott did in his nightmare. Can he really tell them about that night? He knew that Cody wouldn't let him not say it to them, so Noah's only option was to let the cat out of the bag.

With one sigh of defeat, Noah spoke. "I witnessed Scott being attacked, and I...did nothing."

"What?" Emma asked, rather confused. "How did you..."

"I was hiding inside the playground when it happened. I didn't get a good look at the person who was attacking him due to the rain and the darkness. All I know was that he was carrying a crowbar with him, and that's it." Noah explains to them. "Me not helping him...It was all my fault...I was just completely defenseless, and I felt stunned. Like I couldn't do anything. The only thing I had was my own phone, and that wouldn't do anything against...whoever that was."

"Well...I guess I don't blame you for not fighting back." Emma said.

"Don't blame him?" Kitty asked. "Emma, have you lost your mind? This guy let another man die in the hands of...some unknown person. How can you forgive him?"

"Look at him? You really think this guy can fight a man with a crowbar?" Emma looks over to Noah. "No offence."

"None taken." Noah said, holding up a hand.

"What happened with Noah at the playground can wait. I think the real issue with that situation is...who even was that guy who attacked Scott?"

Silence filled the room, as the four friends eyed each other. They knew that whoever was that guy, everyone was a suspect, including some of the other people in the neighborhood. The only thing that all of them knew was that Noah wasn't the culprit, since he watched the whole ordeal happen right in front of him.

With Noah out of the question, one could only wonder, who can be trusted in the other three of the quartet around this living room? Feeling like they were getting ahead of themselves, rather quickly as well, Emma stood up.

"Now, before we all point fingers, I think the first logical step is to see where everyone else, aside from Noah, was at the time for the event." Emma suggested. "All I can say is that me and Kitty were at home when Scott was attacked."

"I was at my house as well, watching TV." Cody said. "Also, Noah knows for a fact that it isn't me, because I was on the phone with him when Scott was attacked."

"Good point." Noah said.

"You know, the more I think about it, I believe one of us should call or find Gwen. You were close to almost telling her about how you were there, so...do you think she knows about the situation that has happened?" Noah shrugs his shoulders, unsure with the goth girl is aware of it or not.

* * *

Speaking of Gwen...

She was being made aware of the situation right now...

While Chris was at the hospital, waiting for the results about Scott, he gave Duncan, Lightning, Jo, and Alejandro awareness about what has happened to their friend. He called them all about ten minutes after their previous ones after he mentioned the good news to them.

The good news being that the doctors were going to try to fix him as best as they could. The bad news however...Scott didn't make it. With the condition that he was in, he wasn't going to pull through with his injuries. All of them were informed of the bad news. When Duncan heard about Scott's death, he immediately went to Gwen about this.

"He's dead?!" Gwen asked, in utter shock.

"Yes. He is!" Duncan said on the other line. "I mean, I thought the injury was just going to be nothing more but marks on his body, but they said his eyes were missing, and one of his own legs are missing as well. It was impossible, damn it!"

"Duncan, I am so sorry for your loss. I wish that Scott was found alive instead..."

"I wish as fucking well, Gwen!" Duncan snaps, causing the two of them to be silent for a couple seconds. "I'm sorry. The past two days have been hard enough as it is, now this is added onto the pile of awful shit that has happened recently."

"I'm just going to leave you alone now, Duncan. I actually am arriving at my boyfriend's house right now." Gwen said, walking through the gates of a random regular looking house. "I'll check up on you later. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Gwen ends the phone call with Duncan, and headed into her boyfriend's house. Her boyfriend is Trent, another student in the college that she graduated at. He is a student who is often hanging out with the others from the music class, talking about their favorite bands, singers, and songs and stuff. He and Gwen didn't really see much in each other when day one of college, but after getting along, and getting to know each other a little more, the two decided to date.

The goth girl knocks on the door. Once Trent shouts for her to come in, she does just that. She entered the house, hearing '_Wild Thing_' by the Troggs playing on the stereo, that was upstairs. Gwen knew that Trent was up in his bedroom, since she doesn't see him anywhere around the downstairs area. Gwen went over to the stairs, and went up them.

Once she was upstairs, Gwen went over to Trent's room, where he was at, reading a book to himself. Trent has messy black hair, with a green shirt that has army camouflage sleeves, as well as a black hand-print on the front of it. Trent also wore baggy gray jeans with a black suspender off the right side of it.

Looking at the walls, Trent had a lot of posters of many bands. Mostly rock bands. From the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Queen, Nirvana, Linkin Park, and a couple more Gwen doesn't really know about. Probably because she listens to more goth music then anything that Trent listens to. She does like some of the stuff Trent likes, nonetheless.

It was at this point, Trent notices Gwen standing outside his bedroom. "Oh, Gwen! I didn't know that you were here! I thought you were my mom!" Trent said, standing up from his bed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just wanting to see how my boyfriend is doing." Gwen said, smiling, and walking over to her boyfriend. "Have...you heard about the news recently?"

"No. What about?"

"Um..." Gwen's smile slowly turns into a frown. "...The fact that...somebody died recently."

"WHAT?!" Trent asked, shocked and terrified hearing that being said. "Who?!"

"This guy named Scott...he was a farmer out in the forest, and...he was found...killed..."

"Holy shit...I can't believe this."

"Duncan told me about it when I was on the way here." Gwen shook her head, before glaring to the floor. "I honestly don't know who in the right mind in this town would do such a thing. This town didn't have a crime like that in over...what? Many years now?" Trent blinked a couple times, before looking over to his own window.

"Well, what are the cops doing about this? They got to have some sort of way to handle something like this. Right?!"

"I'm sure they do, Trent. But...I'm worried who else in this town is going to be next."

Gwen held her mouth, worried for the safety of herself, Trent, and most of her other friends around town. She had so many frightening thoughts about one of them being in the same position as Scott, but worse. It's probably her thinking too deep into it, but she was terrified. Trent pulls her into a hug.

"Gwen, chill out sweetie. Things are going to be okay. I promise." Trent whispers to her, trying to calm her down.

"I hope so..." Gwen said, softly.


	7. Chapter 7

It was about time he figured out about what happened to Scott as well...

"Is this true, Chris?" Mayor Hatchet asked on the phone. "I must say, I had a bad feeling this was going to be the results. Alright. I'll make sure I tell Topher all about this. Good day to you too, Chris. See you soon."

Mayor Hatchet hung up the phone. His previously smiling face, slowly turned into a morbid frown. It's evident that Detective McLean told him all about what has happened to Scott. There was really nothing that the doctors could even do to save the farm-boy. All of this was beginning to be too much for him, especially with the phone call from his friend.

Topher stepped into the office, wondering how the phone call went between the mayor and the head-detective. He wasn't aware of what has happened to Scott, since nobody usually talks to him about important things that Mayor Hatchet is aware about. Once he walked into the office, Mayor Hatchet looks over to Topher as he stepped in. This is where the conversation began between the mayor and the younger man.

"Mayor Hatchet, I heard you talking to somebody on the phone while I was heading to the bathroom." Topher said, walking up to the mayor's desk. "Who was on the phone? Was it Detective McLean?" Mayor Hatchet nods. "What did he say?"

"Topher, you are not going to like hearing this..." Mayor Hatchet said, placing his hands on the desk, shaking his head as he was staring down. Topher raises an eyebrow, a bit confused, as well as worried. "...Scott's dead."

"WHAT?! HE'S DEAD?! HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN?!" Topher asked, nearly shouting, finding this outrageous.

"You calm down now. Chris said that his eyes were missing, and one of his legs was gone too. He also had a lot of bruises all over his body." Mayor Hatchet then sat down at his chair, keeping his eyes on the younger man as he continued to speak. "The only thing Chris made sense of is the bruises. However, he had no idea what it is about the missing eyes and leg thing, so he is looking into that. For now, I believe that it's in our right to stay calm..."

"Stay calm?! Are you nuts?! How can we be calm at a time like this?! Somebody's dead!"

"I know. But we can't just jump to conclusions, and lose our minds, even if the crime that has occurred is huge."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! What if more people end up dead?!"

"We don't know that, Topher. Now calm down." Topher held up his hands, walking backwards, heading back to the door.

"Yeah. I really think I need to calm down. If you need me, I think I need to head out, and go back home, because I need to wrap my head around what kind of crazy logic it is to go and keep a level head at a thing like THIS." Topher opens the doors, and then left the town hall.

"Now don't be like..." The doors slammed shut. "...That..." Chris leans forward on the desk, holding onto the side of his head, wondering how he was going to fix this whole situation before it gets even worse. That, or hope that Chris McLean can figure things out before things escalate.

* * *

After the hospital trip, Chris paced the outside of the hospital building, wondering how to even tell Scott's parents about their son's death. Parts of him wants to tell them face to face, but another part of him wants to go and ask Mayor Hatchet to tell them instead. Another thought was him either giving them a phone call so that he doesn't have to deal with their mourning and feeling guilty about it, or maybe he wanted to get Topher to go do it for him.

Still pacing the outside, another person took notice of him there. The girl who was walking over to the detective has blonde hair in a ponytail, as well as green eyes. She also is wearing a light blue sweatshirt with baggy blue shorts, as well as blue sandals. This girl is Bridgette, a girl who is a surfer who is pretty moved into this town about a day ago with her mother, after a nasty divorce happened. She was also happy to be in this town, since her boyfriend lives in this town, believe it or not. So she was happy enough to stay with her mother instead of her father.

Once she notices the detective pacing around the front of the hospital, she decided to approach him to see what was wrong with him. "Uh...I hope I'm not interrupting anything...but...is something wrong?" Bridgette asked him. Chris stopped pacing around, noticing the blonde girl there.

"Just everything is wrong right now." Chris said, stopping in his tracks. "Come to think, I don't think I seen you around here before. Do I know you?"

"You...don't." The surfer girl places her hands in her pockets, before speaking some more. "My name's Bridgette. I just moved here about...a couple days ago, since my mom and dad divorced."

"Oh, sorry to hear. Looks like both of us are in a sour state right now."

"Not exactly. I mean, I don't really know anyone in this town, aside from only one person, and I am off to find him." The girl smiled. "Because it's been awhile since we talked on our computers, and I just can't wait to talk to him in person." Chris rolled his eyes, not really interested in this romantic stuff that the girl is, most likely, talking about.

"Uh, yeah. I don't mean to be rude, but I have a complete headache right now, if you want to go on and on and on about romance, go talk to somebody else."

"You in a divorce too?"

"What?!" Chris asked, confused, bothered, and surprised that she'd come to that conclusion. "No! I've never went through...gah...you know what? Look, me, along with a couple other cops, have failed somebody today. I'm stressed out about what happened, and the last thing I need is for somebody to talk to me. All I need is to be alone to myself right now." Chris then taps his chin. "Too be honest though, since you're new, what happened...it's the cops fault. None of them were driving fast enough."

"What happened...exactly?"

"Oh my God, is this really worth discussing about? I need to think to myself, detective needs to try to calm down so that he doesn't end up failing more people." Bridgette held up her hands, backing away from the older man.

"Okay. Sorry. I was only trying to help you, sir." Bridgette lowers her hands, before deciding to walk away. "Damn it, first day in this town, and already, people are acting like jerks..." The blonde girl mutters to herself, as she was walking away.

Chris stood there silently, before walking up to a random bench that was nearby. He sat down on it, placing his hands on his forehead. He shook his head, trying to have his mind process what is even going on in this town. Somebody's dead, and the person who killed the victim is unknown. He knew that things were only going to get more difficult from here.

'_I swear, if this guy or girl isn't caught soon, most of this town is going to be toast._' Chris said in his thoughts. '_I don't know why...whoever the hell did all that, did that to Scott...but something tells me that he...or she's not done yet. They are probably out there in this town somewhere. I just hope that me or one of the the other cops are able to take down whoever that is before things get worse._' Chris nodded his head, feeling a bit better about this situation. '_I'm sure that we got this. I know we do._' Standing up, Chris went back to his car, and headed back to his the police station.

* * *

Back with Noah and Cody, the two of them decided to go off to their homes, feeling like they've been spooked enough for one day. They went on foot, heading back to one of their houses so that they can play a video game or two. But that's when one surprise catches them off-guard.

Along the way to the block where both of their houses were at, the two noticed Bridgette sitting at the bus stop, holding a phone in her hands. She appeared to simply be texting somebody on it. Nothing more, nothing less. Noah blinked a couple times, staring at the blonde girl, while Cody smiled, finding the girl rather interesting.

"Now who's that girl?" Cody asked out loud, near his best friend. Noah stared at Cody with a risen eyebrow.

"Uh, dude, she might be new in town. Don't try to pull some kind of move on her." Noah whispers, in a stern manner. "And, come to think of it, you're dating Sierra, so don't even think about it."

"Right, yeah...sorry. I should've known better than that."

Just as the two boys were about to walk pass the blonde girl, Bridgette looks over to the two of them, walking passed her. She stood up from the bench she was sitting on, placing her phone back into her pocket. She then spoke to them.

"Uh, wait! Can you two boys help me?" Bridgette asked, stopping the two of them in their tracks. Noah and Cody turned around, facing the blonde girl, who was walking up to them. "I'm...sorry if you two are walking some place else, but...I really need help trying to find someone's house." The two boys looked at each other, before Noah looked at the blonde girl again, being the first one to speak.

"Okay then. What do you need help with?" Noah asked her.

"Well...you see, recently, I moved into this town, since my mom and dad got divorced. The house we moved into is...right over there."

Bridgette points at the nearby light blue house that she was in front of. The house appears to be only two stories, with a stone pathway to the front door, connecting to the sidewalk. There was a van in the driveway that had a couple boxes that were in the trunk, meaning that they probably didn't unpack everything yet.

"My mom told me to go see my boyfriend while she handles some of the smaller things that we brought with us." Bridgette explains to them. "So...um...do you know where a guy named...um...Geoff lives?" Cody's mouth drops open hearing that this girl was actually not single.

"Ah crap! I thought you were single!" Cody shouts, before Noah elbows him in the side, making him shut up about that. "Ow!"

"I know where Geoff lives. He should be in AppleBake Street, which...should be about seven blocks down from here." Noah said, pointing to the right. "His house should be the...yellow house with the dark blue curtains in the front window." Bridgette smiled, before looking over to the direction that Noah was pointing at.

"Thank you. You two are such gentlemen." Bridgette said, before frowning when she looked over to Cody. "Well...maybe not..."

"Cody..." Noah said to her. "And I'm Noah."

"Okay. Not Cody." Bridgette then smiled at the boy in front of her. "But you're really one gentleman, Noah. Thank you." Noah nods, before he blushed, rather flattered by the girl's compliment. "Anyways, I really should head off to find my boyfriend now. Thanks for your help."

"Hey, no problem." As Bridgette walked off, Noah and Cody went off once again. "Come on, Cody. Let's head off to my house." The two started to walk.

"You know, no need to elbow me in my damn rib, you know..." Cody mutters, still holding his side.

"Shut up..."


	8. Chapter 8

Along the way to her boyfriend's house...

Duncan, Jo, Lightning, and Alejandro were watching the surfer girl walking over to Geoff's house. Duncan was actually pretty decent friends with the partier, considering that he is often invited to parties at his house whenever he has one. Pretty much all of them loved it whenever Geoff had parties at his house. They were always a way to get themselves out of stress. Sad to see Scott wasn't going to be at any of them anymore.

None of them really knew who this Bridgette girl was. They were thinking maybe she's somebody who's just lost, or maybe she was a friend of Geoff's somehow. Either way, they were slghtly curious about who this girl even is. Duncan sat there by the side of the sidewalk, staring at the surfer girl walking into the party boy's front lawn.

"I wonder who that girl is." Duncan said, pointing at Bridgette.

"She's probably a girl that Geoff knows about." Jo said. "You think that she's his girlfriend or something? She's probably that girl that he's been talking about before at college."

"You're assuming THAT, out of the fact that she was going into his lawn?" Lightning asked.

"Just a thought."

"You know, that girl's kind of sexy is you ask Lightning."

"Oh shut up..." Duncan looks over himself at Alejandro.

"What do you think, Alejandro?" Duncan asked.

"I am dating Heather now. There's no need for me to go off to date a new person that came to town." Alejandro said. Duncan rolled his eyes, smiling at that, before standing up from the sidewalk. "Anyways, shouldn't one of us be concerned for her safety, since she came to this town after...you know what happened to Scott?"

"Oh please, whoever killed Scott has another thing coming when it comes to people like us." Lightning said. "Lightning has no idea who killed Scott, but whoever it was, is going to regret it, big time!"

"You want to fight off whoever that was?" Duncan asked. "Are you suicidal, man?"

"No. But think about it like this, we find whoever this is, kick his ass." Lightning holds up one of his arms, poking at his muscles. "We are stronger together, with or without Scott. We can all kick his ass, and hope whoever that is, gets taught a lesson."

"Uh...yeah...I see this plan as nothing but failure."

"Duncan's quite correct about this." Alejandro said. "I oppose to this plan, as well."

"Oh, you two are just cowards, I swear to God." Jo said, pointing at the two boys. "Hope the safety of this town is worth hiding in your bedrooms rather than take care of this guy ourselves." Lightning smiled, and nodded to this plan.

"Glad to know you're on my side on this one." Lightning said. "Either way, you can change your minds if you want. Meet me and Jo outside of my house tonight so that we can finally take care of that son of a bitch." Duncan and Alejandro began to walk off, not wanting anything to do with this plan.

"Yeah...we'll give you a call if we change our minds." Duncan said, sarcastically.

"I swear...those two are such cowards..." Jo mutters, as she and Lightning started to walk the other way.

* * *

About a couple more hours later...

Gwen went off to the location that Scott was discovered. She had no idea why she would go to that location, but apart of her felt like she should just go there. Apart of her felt like there was something that Detective McLean was missing when he was there last time.

Gwen looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun was setting now, so she had only a few minutes until it was finally nighttime. She didn't want to be outside while whoever killed Scott was probably still out in the town. The goth walked over to the river, looking around the spot that Scott was found at, wondering what was around here that Chris might've forgotten. She doubts that there was something in the water itself, so she probably had to look at some of the things around the stream instead.

So the goth girl looks over to the nearby bush that was nearby. She walked over to it, investigated the inside of it. Inside, there was nothing. She looked over at the rocks that were also nearby. Only to see that there was nothing as well.

Then she found something that was across the river. Gwen backs up a couple steps behind herself, and then ran for the river. She leaps across the small river, gaining her balance on the other side.

It looked to be some sort of baseball cap that was on the ground, on the other side. She walks up to it, picking it up once she approaches it on the giant rock. She inspects the cap a little further.

Nothing too interesting when it came to inspecting the cap a little further. However, looking at the front of the cap, it does not seem like whoever owns this cap is from this city at all, as evident by the emblem saying it's from New York City, since it has the Statue of Liberty on it. She then looks inside the cap, only to see that there was a piece of paper taped on the inside of it.

'_Hmm...this seems rather mysterious..._' Gwen said in her thoughts. '_I wonder what this says..._'

She took the paper out of her head, looking at what this piece of paper is. It could either be a photo or a note, that's all Gwen knew. Opening up the note, she knew one thing, she was right when she thought that this was one of those two things.

It was, indeed, a note, but it wasn't to anyone specifically. Not only that, but it appears that there was a couple things on this paper that appeared to be crossed out. Gwen read this to herself.

'_It seems rather nice to see the town of Leafton, Muskoka. I can't believe how much the town has changed after me and my family left in 2012. It's crazy that..._' That's all the note said, since the rest of what was written was crossed out with a marker.

"Well, some evidence so far." Gwen said out loud. "But, it's a start. I'm surprised that Detective McLean didn't discover this while he was here before. Guess this could be anyone's hat." Gwen looks over to the forest, that was surrounding this part of the down, before taking a deep breath. "Well...let's just take this to the police station now..."

The goth backs herself up to the tree behind her, then launches herself, running towards the river. She leaps over the stream, landing onto the other side. She then made her way to the police station, carrying the baseball cap with her.

Before Gwen could walk towards the police station, she notices a girl was standing at the sidewalk, most likely watching the goth girl the entire time. The girl, in question, has orange hair that appears to be curly. She wore a dark green polo shirt with a black jacket, as well as a light green sarong skirt. Gwen had a bad feeling that she'd stumble upon this girl sometime after graduation.

That girl is Izzy. Probably the craziest girl in this town. She and Owen dated for awhile, Gwen question what the nice guy even saw in an insane girl like her, but it's probably because shes one of the many students who got the best grades in all classes. Who knew that she was one to actually have good grades? Not even Owen could believe it.

"Oh no...not you of all people..." Gwen mutters, before crossing her arms. "Did you see me jumping over that river?" Izzy nods her head.

"You bet. That looks like fun." Izzy said, pointing at the stream that Gwen jumped across. "Too bad Owen's not in good shape to jump over stuff like that? Then we'd be jumping over everything in this town, including the houses." Izzy then pulls out a pogo-stick, that was weirdly in her jacket pocket. "All we have to do is use this." Gwen was starting to get irritated by the usually crazy girl.

"Can this please wait until...the next day?"

"Why?! What's so important?!" Izzy looks at the baseball cap that was in the goth's hands. "Ooh! Is that a baseball cap?! It's from New York as well? Awesome! I always wanted to go there!"

"Look, have you heard about Scott dying?!" Gwen asked, stopping the girl in her words.

Izzy was at a lost for words. She had no idea that something like this happened recently. She had no idea idea what to even say about something that involved somebody's death. She never knew anyone who has died in a town like this. All of this felt completely awkward hearing from the goth girl.

"Uh...somebody is dead?" The crazy girl asked.

"Yeah. Scott was found dead in the river over there. So...if you don't mind, I believe that this baseball cap, since it was found at the scene of the crime, I have to give this to Detective McLean." Gwen said. Izzy pulls out a hat that looked like one that Sherlock Holmes would wear, placing it on her head. "Uh...no. You're not helping me out on this one."

"Oh whatever. E-Scope is on the case." Izzy then gets on the ground, rolling herself into the nearby hedge.

"Sometimes, I swear I'm like, the only normal person in this town..." Gwen mutters, before walking off to the police station. "Now some crazy girl is now involved in this bullshit...like that's another thing I need in something like this..."


	9. Chapter 9

Later that night, Gwen finally made it to the police station. It really took her a long walk to get to the police station, which probably would be a terrible time for Gwen to be out and about. But if the night is as dangerous as last time, then all she has to do is stay at the station until morning, or maybe even go off to a nearby friends house or something. Anything, apart from walking around at night.

Gwen knocks on the doors, then waited for somebody to answer for her. The door opens slowly, as MacArthur was heard talking on the dark inside of the station. She spoke to the goth girl.

"Hey! Who do you think you are, and what do you want with us?! If you haven't noticed, we are a bit busy!" MacArthur shouts on the inside of the building. Gwen stood there, nearly petrified by the woman yelling at her. She spoke aloud.

"I'm...here for Detective McLean. I...found something at the scene of the crime that I'm sure he should see." Gwen said, holding the baseball cap in front of her. "This is what I found." About a couple seconds of silence, the door opens all the way.

"Then come in. Chris should be in the room to the far right."

"It...seems to be a bit too dark in there."

"We don't spend money on the lights, not get your butt to his office now!"

"Alright...alright..."

The entirety of the place was nearly pitch black, that Gwen almost tripped a few times, just trying to get to Chris's office. She was able to pull her Smartphone out, and turned the flashlight on it on, and found the door that had Chris's last name on it. The goth then entered the office of the head detective.

Inside Chris's office, the lights were on, thankfully. Chris was sitting in his chair, back turned towards the window, as the song '_People are Strange_' by The Doors was playing on the nearby speaker. Gwen blinked a couple times, before closing the door, and getting the man's attention. Chris nearly jumped at the sound of the door being shut, but regain his composure when he noticed that it was Gwen.

"Oh...it's some girl." Chris said, taking notice of Gwen. "I believe MacArthur said something about us being too busy or something?"

"Yeah..." Gwen said, taking a seat at the one chair that was in front of the detective's desk. "I...know I have no dog in this race, but...I chose to go investigate the location where Scott's corpse was found, and...I found this."

Gwen places the baseball cap on the desk in front of her. She then pulls out the piece of paper that she found inside of it out of her pocket, handing it over to Chris.

After about a couple moments of looking over the paper that Gwen found, Chris then looks at the cap again. He seemed pretty bothered, yet skeptical about the supposed evidence that the goth girl had brought in. He was uncertain if any of these two things would be considered evidence whatsoever, and that they were found nearby to just be mere coincidences.

"You're saying you found these two things near the river where Scott was found?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow. Gwen gives a nod.

"Yes. I did." Gwen said.

"Hmm...well, I must say, what you did back there was very dangerous, and you probably would've endangered yourself if you were alone." Chris said in a stern manner. "I'm not sure if these are related to what happened to Scott or not, but I will keep these just in case. But just to let you know, we can't have some bystander, stand around, and play Sherlock Holmes in a situation like this. Please just let the authorities happen this on our own."

Gwen nods her head, silently, before standing up from the chair. '_Well, at least Detective McLean is taking all of what I've discovered with a grain of salt._' Gwen said in her thoughts, before Chris ended up hearing the phone ringing on the desk.

"Hello?" Chris asked to the person on the phone. A couple of mumbling was heard on the phone, as Chris's mouth drops open in shock. "Excuse me?! Tell me that this is a prank call!" More mumbling, and then Chris rushed over to the stereo, turning it off. He picks up his trenchcoat and hat off of the coat rack, then headed to the door. "Gwen, come on! We got to go!"

"What?! Who the hell was on the phone?! What the hell is going on right now?!" Gwen shouts, confused by the current situation.

"We have to get to the neighborhood! Fast!"

* * *

Out in the neighborhood...

Lightning and Jo were carrying baseball bats, looking around for anyone suspicious walking around the streets. Jo looks down at the watch she was wearing, seeing what time it was right now. It appears that it was already eleven at night when the duo was doing this.

Such a shame too, because by the looks of it, it doesn't really seem like anyone is out on the streets tonight...

The two took a rest stop near a water tower that was somewhere near where Lightning lives. The two looked up at this thing, before the man of the two pulls a flashlight out of his pocket, shining it upward at the sky. Nobody was up there. So far, it still seems like nobody is around the neighborhood right now, causing any sort of trouble.

"This sucks. Nobody is out here, Lightning." Jo said. "I'm better off at my own house, ready to forget this pathetic night."

"What are you, a sha-wimp?" Lightning asked. "Lightning ain't sleeping, until Lightning ends up teaching this prick a sha-lesson."

"And a lesson that you won't be teaching, now that we're here." That was Noah's voice.

The two toughies looked over to the direction of the voice, seeing Noah and Emma coming onto the block where the water tower was on. Noah had on a dark blue jacket, as well as baggy purple pants, while Emma had her jacket zipped up, and had purple gloves on. This was due to the fact that it's usually cold at night where they live.

Upon seeing Noah and Emma coming over to them, Jo scoffed, finding it unbelievable that these two were here to stop them. Lightning just gave the two studious teens a smirk, as he walked closer to them.

"Now what may you two be doing out here?" Lightning asked. "I don't think whoever killed Scott will be intimidated by you two."

"We're not here to fight anyone. We're here because I saw you walking out of your house with baseball bats in your hands." Noah said. "If you haven't noticed, some psycho is out here!" Emma nods her head.

"You honestly think we're listening to you anyway, and where's that girl's sister?"

"Kitty couldn't come, since she was sleeping right now." Emma said. "But that's not important. What's important is that you two got to get into a house or, a car or something. Because who knows who's going to die next."

"Yeah, keep talking girly, see if we still care to listen." Jo said. "Either way, it doesn't appear that anyone's even out here."

"Doesn't mean you can stay out here, endangering yourselves." Noah said.

"Okay sha-wimp, you're getting on Lightning's last nerve right now. If you don't zip that lip of yours, then I am going to..."

Just before Lightning could finish what he was going to say, the sound of something zooming happened. Noah and Emma's eyes widened at the sight of what just happened right in front of them. Jo was even standing there in the same amount of fear that Noah and Emma had.

Lightning was just shot through the chest with what appears to be a metal pole. Lightning looked down what had just impaled him, causing his mouth to drop in horror at the sight of what had happened to him. He held onto his chest, blinking a couple times, before saying his final words.

"Sha-damn...Lightning probably just...sha-died!" Then the jock fell backwards, bleeding as he laid on the ground.

Emma screamed in horror, as Lightning's life came to an end. Noah and Jo looked at each other, stunned by fear, until the three of them ended up making a break for the road. None of them looked back, nor even took a breath, until they made it to the road.

Thankfully, around this time, Detective McLean and Gwen showed up to see that the three of them were running for the road. The two got out of the car, just as Noah, Emma, and Jo made it to the police car. Chris held up his arms, and spoke.

"What the hell happened?! We got a call from Emma saying that two people were walking around town with baseball bats!" Chris said. Jo held up a hand.

"I actually was one of those people with the bats. Lightning, he...he's dead..." Jo said, trying to catch her breath. The detective and goth girl gasped in horror after what they were just told.

"Where is he?!"

"Over...over there..." Noah said, pointing towards the direction, from where they once ran. Chris glared at the direction Noah was pointing at, before running his way towards the water tower.

"No way are they escaping me this time!" Chris shouts, as he ran for Lightning.

But when he approached the water tower, the detective was surprised to see that the pole was still there. The only thing that was missing, however, was Lightning. Blood remained on the pole as it stayed there, stuck in the ground.

"This can not be happening..." Chris said to himself, staring at the pole in horror.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day...

It was probably one of the most horrifying nights that anyone from the water tower had experienced. All three, Emma, Noah, and Jo wishes that all of it was nothing but a joke, or a bad dream. But they couldn't deny it, all of what happened was real. They did witness Lightning's death, right in front of their very eyes. Because of it, it was a complete sleepless night for the three.

Chris, on the other hand, nearly didn't sleep all night due to him trying to wrap his head around how Lightning's body disappeared. Without a trace too. He was confused how his body disappearing was possible. Looks like this case was getting more harder than he can chew.

When the next morning came, Noah was trying to eat some breakfast, as he was trying to keep himself awake. Cody and Gwen came over to visit his house to see how he was doing after that night. Gwen felt sorry for the sarcastic boy after what he had experienced that night, so she came along with Cody to check up on him. She knew she had better things to do, but Trent was busy at the moment, so she went to go check up on Noah as well.

Inside Noah's house, the sarcastic teen was sitting at the table, with pancakes in front of him, and some cups of coffee. He tried to keep his head on his own arm, avoiding the urge to fall asleep, while Cody and Gwen were standing by the table, watching him trying to keep himself awake.

"So now that's two people killed?" Cody asked. "Scott, now Lightning?"

"Yeah." Gwen said.

"What the hell were Jo and Lightning doing out there to begin with? They knew that some psychopath was lurking around town, wanting blood. What were they thinking?" The goth girl rolled her eyes, before crossing her arms, pacing the kitchen now.

"Who could even be doing this? Why is...whoever this person is...want with Scott and Lightning?"

"I have no idea. But I feel like..." Noah said, sluggishly, before his face fell into his pancakes. Cody shook his head at the sight of this, then walked over to him, with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Come on, dude, take a sip of coffee. I'm sure that this will wake you up a lot better." Cody said, as Noah took a sip of the cup in his best friend's hand. The boy shook his head at the coffee taste, standing up from the table, a lot more energized.

"Okay! That felt good!"

"Looks like that worked." Cody said, smiling, and standing up from the table as well. "Now...seriously though, I think we need to talk about how we are going to deal with this shit that's happening in our town. Either we do something about this, or else..."

"Or else what? We get more people killed?" Gwen asked, disagreeing with this idea. "If you haven't noticed, Lightning and Jo attempted to find and attack whoever that was, and it ended up leading to one of them killed!"

"Gwen, sweetheart, I hate to go against you, but...uh...yeah, we have to do something about this guy before more people get killed. Who knows who this guy even is or what he wants with...most likely, everyone in this town." Noah looks over to the goth girl, raising an eyebrow, noticing something about last night.

"You know, I don't want to accuse you of anything, Gwen...but...what were you doing with Chris last night?" Noah asked her, curiously. "Like I said, I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm just...curious."

"I had a feeling you'd ask that..." Gwen said.

Gwen reaches into her back pocket, and pulling out her phone. She showed a picture of both the baseball cap and note she found at the spot where Scott was discovered at. Gwen explains to them about the fact that she discovered that somebody left behind the two items at the scene of the crime, and believes that they are some sort of evidence.

Noah and Cody now knows that whoever this was doing all of this apparently came to the town recently, but he didn't know who's cap it was at all. Sadly, he doesn't know the reason why this person is even doing all of this. Everyone in this town is still a suspect.

Then a surprise happens...

"Hey, you guys trying to solve this mystery too?!" Izzy asked, for some reason, in the kitchen as well. Gwen, Cody, and Noah jumped at the sound of the insane girl's voice coming out of nowhere, as she was smiling away. Gwen groans under her breath, glaring at Izzy.

"Okay! How the hell did you get in here?!" Gwen shouts, angry at the fact that she just scared them.

"I saw the both of you walking in here, so I thought I should follow you guys in here." Izzy then looks at Noah, who was still slightly sleepy. "Oh hey Noah! You sleepy?!"

"Kind of..." Noah said. "I'm trying to wake myself up from...what has happened last night...I bet you know what I'm talking about..."

"Lightning had a pole sent through his chest last night. Noah, Emma, and Jo watched it all happen in front of their own eyes." Gwen explains to them. "Jo's at her own house, trying to keep herself safe, while Emma...I don't know about her. I handed Chris some evidence that I discovered the day I talked to you about all this, then Chris...kind of berated me for trying to get involved in this. So...if I were you, I'd probably back out of all of this." Izzy then shrugged her shoulders, nonchalantly.

"Or I could find more evidence and make sure that this guy comes face to face with E-Scope." Izzy said, placing on her detective hat on her head. "Besides, if that Detective McLean guy isn't doing so good trying to find this guy, why don't we?"

"Because it's dangerous?"

"It doesn't seem like Noah or Cody are backing out of this."

"Izzy, please..." Cody said. "Let me and Noah take care of this. Besides, we're stronger, faster, we got the smarts..." Izzy glared at Cody, placing her hands on her hips.

"Uh, way to say such 'wonderful' words, Cody." Noah said, before turning his head to Izzy. "Look, it's nice of you to help us out, but I don't think we really need help on this one."

"Oh don't be silly! I'm helping!" Izzy then walks over to the back doors, walking out of them.

"...And she walked into my backyard."

* * *

Meanwhile...

With Duncan...

He accidentally slept in this morning. He was meant to wake up and try to figure out what job he wants around town. Graduation had been about eight months ago already, and he still doesn't know what job to get around town.

Personally, to him, he was hoping for a tattoo parlor job, since it seems pretty cool to him. But then again, is he really good at that? He had no clue where to work at just yet, but he's still thinking about it. Once he got ready to go into the town to find a job, he went over to the garage to go into his car. But before he could enter his garage...

The doorbell rang...

Duncan went off to go see who it was at his door. When he opened it, he looked around his front lawn, seeing nobody in sight. The only thing he could heard outside was nothing but an ominous silent, with the occasional bird chirping out in the distance. Duncan's eyes moved around the entire neighborhood block in front of him, wondering who was at his front door, until he looked down.

There was a box in front of his door. It didn't look like it was sent by any of the post offices, due to the fact that there was now stickers on it. There was also no writing on the box, saying who the box is from. This strange box made Duncan grew curious, so he went inside with it to see what was in there.

The delinquent went over to the dining room table with the package. Looking around the box on last time, he was lucky that he didn't need anything to cut the box open with, it was just a removable lid. So to him, that was good, and a lot easier for him to open it. But what's on the inside really made Duncan horrified.

Removing the lid, Duncan gasped in horror at what he has seen...

Inside the box was literately Lightning's head. Not only that, but there was one of his arms, as well as a couple bones. Everything appears to be dried of any blood. But that still doesn't take away that this sight was absolutely terrifying and revolting. There was also a word written on Lightning's forward, saying the word '_You'll be regretting this_' on it.

Shocked by what he just saw, Duncan ran over to his Smartphone on the table, picking it up, calling the cops. Once Chris answered the phone, Duncan spoke nearly panicking at the package still.

"Hello?" Detective McLean asked on the phone.

"Hello, officer! I think you need to come down here, like, right now!" Duncan shouts, panicking. "This package...it...it has somebody's head in it! Lightning's head, I mean!"

"Okay, sir! Please calm..." This was when Chris noticed who he was talking to. "Wait a second, I know your voice! You're that Duncan guy, that Scott was friends with, right?! Now your friend Lightning is gone too?!"

"No shit he's dead!"

"Crap! I'll come down right now!"

"Great! Because you really need to see this! This is...fucking insane!" Duncan hangs up the phone, stunned by the fact that he still got this package. First, Scott, now Lightning's dead. He knew that things were getting worse, and worse.

* * *

Across the street from Duncan's house...

Bridgette was sitting on her porch, reading a book to herself. This morning, she and her mother finally finished up unpacking everything they brought with them to their new house. Now that they were finished, all Bridgette wants to do is sit down and relax. Then later tonight, go on a date with Geoff afterwards.

Walking out of the house, Bridgette's mother came out, wanting some fresh air after sitting in the house all day. Bridgette's mother has blonde hair, just like her daughter, but a little bit shorter, and to the shoulders. She is wearing a dark blue blouse with black pants, as well as purple heels.

Bridgette's mother has been crying over the divorce that she and her husband have been going through before. She's been doing fine during the whole experience, but felt like she could do some things without letting her depression about it take over. Bridgette has been supportive of her as well, even back in her town when the whole divorce was going down. Bridgette even encouraged her mother to go find a new boyfriend when she's comfortable with dating again. It might be a bit until Bridgette finally gets a new father, sadly.

"Hey mom, how are you doing?" Bridgette asked the older woman next to her.

"It's been...I've been better." Bridgette's mother told her daughter.

"I'm still so sorry about what you and dad went through. But...it was for the best." Bridgette sighed, shaking her head. "I just really wish he didn't do what he did, or else we'd be a happy family." The mother shook her head, placing a hand on her forehead, feeling pessimistic that the divorce would've never happened. She clearly looked angry when she spoke her next words.

"No...Bridgette, I feel like your father would've went with another woman behind my back anyway..." The mother's angry look turned into a look of sorrow. "We've been growing apart, and...really, I felt like either one of us would've seen this coming. I still don't forgive him over what he did, but it probably would've happened anyway."

The surfer girl took a deep breath, before nodding her head. "It's going to be hard without dad..." Her mother than pats her daughter's arm, before standing up.

"Well, we're looking out for each other, sweetie." Bridgette's mother stood up from the porch swing her daughter was sitting on, before looking back at her one more time. "Hey, why don't I order us pizza after you apply for that job? Maybe we can watch a movie or something." Bridgette smiled, before standing up, placing her book down.

"Sure. Anything to make you happy, mom."

Bridgette and her mother hug, before the older female walked back into the house. The surfer girl walks off of the porch, pulling out her cell phone to call her boyfriend Geoff to drive her to her location so she can get a job there.

But before she could place her boyfriend's number in there, the surfer girl was surprised to hear the sound of sirens out in the distance. She looks left, seeing two police cars heading towards the house across the street. The black car Chris was driving was following the two police cars from behind, as usual. Chris got out of his car, as one of the police women walked up to him.

"Chris, it's that Duncan kid again. Do you think he has a prank for us, or not?" The police woman asked the lead detective.

"I doubt that it's a prank, considering that I talked to Duncan before Lightning's death. I'm certain that none of this is a prank." Detective McLean said. "MacArthur, whatever happens, let me do the talking, and you doing the whole 'good cop, bad cop' thing, let's not do that."

"Every single one of us is worried, Detective. We want to know that Duncan isn't involved in this, in any sort of way."

"He's good friends with Scott. I doubt he's got anything to do with..." Chris notices Bridgette near the police cars, staring at the conversation as it happened. "Hey! We're kind of busy over here if you don't mind!" Bridgette waves a hand, nodding.

"Okay! Sorry!" Bridgette said. "I'm just neighbors with that...Duncan guy, and...I'm new around here, so..."

"Well you picked a bad time to come to this town then!" MacArthur shouts.

"MacArthur, please. Let me talk to her." Chris said.

"Thank you." Bridgette said.

"Anyways, as I was about to say, before one of the cops interrupted me...you picked a bad time to come to this town. A bunch of disasters have been happening recently, and we don't need people from out of town, coming in, only to get maimed, or mangled, or leaving in a coffin. So if you don't mind, we need to stay focused on all of this." Bridgette frowns, before nodding her head.

"O-Okay. Sorry..." Bridgette then walks off to go call her boyfriend.

"Anyways, where were we?" Chris asked the police wonder he was near. "Oh yeah. Let's go see what Duncan wants."


	11. Chapter 11

In Duncan's house...

Chris, MacArthur, and two other policemen approached the front door of the delinquent's house. Duncan allows them into his house after they knocked on his door, then led the crew over to the table where the package he received was at. Chris stared at the box for a good few seconds, before opening it up to the horror of what was inside the box.

The head detective nearly threw up at the sight of what he saw inside the box. He was expecting Lightning's head, since that's what Duncan told him on the phone, but wasn't expecting anything too disturbing then what was shown to him. The detective walked up to the box again, before looking away again, feeling grossed out still.

"So uh..." Chris started off saying, before rubbing the back of his neck. "This seems...rather gross."

"No shit!" Duncan shouts, pointing at the box on the table. "I wanted to go through this day without having to worry about whoever that son of a bitch killing everyone on my mind, and then saw...THIS!" The juvie-punk steps closer to McLean, poking him on the chest. "You better have a way to take down whoever the hell is doing all of this, because if not, I'm getting the fuck out of this town, and taking Jo, Alejandro, and the rest of my friends with me!"

"...And where do you think you're going to gone after leaving this town? We're surrounded by a forest. If you're lucky enough to not get lost out there, then I don't know what city you'll be able to find."

"I'll...find that one yard plane hangar that was out in the forest. Then we'll...head out somewhere, or...whatever."

"Yeah...okay. Those planes only hold one person."

"Damn it..."

Chris then allows two other cops to pick up the box to bring to one of the police cars, as he was too squeamish to pick it up himself. So two policemen walked out of the house, holding the package, heading to one of the two police cars, as Chris remained behind. He then pulls out a notebook again, pointing at Duncan, wondering something about the whole ordeal, here.

"I only want to ask one thing, Duncan. Did you see the person who placed the package on your front porch?" Chris asked him. Duncan crossed his arms, shaking his head at the question.

"I haven't seen anyone outside my house. I was upstairs." Duncan said to him. "I was mostly upstairs when this box came."

"Shit..." Chris closes the book, then looks at Duncan again. "...Look, I'm sorry that you got that box. I can tell you that package. I can tell that all of this shit that you had to see...well, that. We're trying our best to find this person before he does anymore damage."

"You better hope so, before me and my friends are out of here."

"Yeah, uh...no. Look, don't do anything like that, alright? Mainly so that you don't have to worry about this psychopath for too long."

"I sure hope so."

"I know so. Just don't attempt something like that." Chris then turns around, looking at the rest of the police officers who arrived here. "Alright, so now two of these people are dead. First was Scott, now is...Lightning...two people are dead. JUST FUCKING GREAT!"

Chris then walks over to the front door with the rest of the police officers. Once all of the authorities were gone, Duncan looks down at the blood that was now on the table, before groaning at it. He walked over to the hallway.

'_Sure, leave, and allow me to clean up what's on my table...whatever..._' Duncan said in his thoughts, walking over to his hallway's closet.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Noah was standing on the street where the water tower was at. The same water tower that Lightning got killed at. What happened right in front of him was the only thing that was on his mind when he was looking at this right in the middle of the block. The guy couldn't believe that it really happened right in front of him of his own eyes.

The usually sarcastic man didn't think he'd see anyone he knew die right in front of his face. Lightning was probably the first person he ever saw getting killed right before his very eyes. It was actually terrifying for him to even have experienced, which actually caused him to not sleep a wink last night. He did see Scott being dragged away, but he didn't see the farm-boy die. By the looks of it, Lightning was probably the most brutal thing he's ever seen. Most disturbing too.

He still couldn't get Lightning's death off of his mind. This is when Cody and Gwen arrived at the spot where Noah was standing at. They also saw the water tower that the jock died at.

"So...is that the spot?" Gwen asked. Noah nods. "Do you think the pole that was used for the crime that occurred last night?"

"I-I don't know." Noah said. "I'm still shaken up by what has happened. I just...couldn't do anything when...that has..." Cody pats his best friend on the back, while the three of them were walking over to that same location.

"Try to get that little incident off of your mind, Noah." Cody said. "Don't blame yourself for it either. Emma and Jo probably feel the same way too, and...we still don't know who did all of this yet. Maybe there's a clue that this person left behind when the corpse...apparently disappeared." Noah nods his head.

"Thanks." Noah then looks over to the water tower again. "Okay. This is the spot. Make sure that you guys look for clues."

The three went to different spots around the water tower. Gwen took one grassy spot, Noah took another spot, while Cody went up the water tower, wondering if the pole came from above instead of from the distance. It would seem like Cody's spot was the most logical. But there's still the bottom area was still valid for some clues to be discovered at.

Looking around the bottom part of the water tower, Noah and Gwen looked through some of the bushes, or up some of the trees that were nearby. They even looked out to the other blocks that could have a high point, where somebody could throw a pole at. No sign of anything that they could throw a pole at, not yet anyway.

This was when one more person came into the situation...

The girl was walking pass the block, not really bothered to get involved in this situation. The girl has red hair in two ponytails as well as a pink flower in it. She also is wearing a red strapless tank-top with brown skinny jeans. This girl is Zoey, one of the neighbors who, to Noah and his friends anyway, they don't know about. She doesn't really know the situation, nor does she get involved in situations like these. But that's all about to change. The red-haired girl stopped to notice Gwen and Noah looking around the block.

"Hey!" Zoey shouts, waving a hand at them. "What are you guys doing?" Noah and Gwen looked at the girl who was standing there.

"Don't mind us, we're just looking for..."

Noah started off saying that, before stopping himself, since this girl might accidentally get involved, just like Izzy is. It's bad enough that the insane girl was involved, the boy didn't need another person to end up being a victim in this situation. Noah had to say his words carefully so that she doesn't get involved.

"Oh, we're just...looking for something. That's all." Noah said back.

"Noah, we're looking for..." Gwen started off saying, before Noah interrupts her.

"Gwen, we don't need somebody else involved in this. You know, E-Scope..." Noah whispers to the goth girl, who instantly changed her tune once the man brought that last word into the light.

"Yeah, we're just looking for...a friend's contact lenses. Don't worry about us."

"Are you sure? You seem pretty...uh..." Zoey said, before she was interrupted.

"No, no, no, we're not needing any sort of help, so...don't worry about us." Zoey held up her arms, shaking her head, before looking over to the neighborhood block that was nearby.

"If you say so...sorry...I'll stay out of this..."

"Thank you." Noah said. "And enjoy the rest of your day!"

"I'm...sure I will..."

Zoey started to walk off, as she was looking at the two people who were looking around the block. She really wish that she could help, but if those two are really not wanting any sort of help, maybe they don't need it. To her, maybe not allowing herself to help them, is helping them enough. Once Zoey was walking across the street now, the boy nodded, seeing that she was safe.

'_Well...guess she was able to be convinced easily to go home now..._' Noah said in his thoughts. '_At least it had to be that girl and not E-Scope. I mean...Izzy. Or else that would be..._'

Noah turns around, noticing Izzy standing behind him. He narrows his eyes, finding it unbelievable that she was here, and of all times too. He couldn't believe that she was here when they were trying to talk that girl into going home.

"Of course..." Noah said out loud. "Why are you here?"

"I heard THIS spot is where Lightning died." Izzy said. "Also, Gwen told me to come along just in case, you guys need some extra help."

"GWEN?!" Noah shouts at the goth, who was shrugging silently. "Damn it...look, we're trying to find evidence, and stop this guy before he gets rid of...who knows who next. I don't know if this is a guy...or a girl...or...whatever...but...we're trying our best to help out the situation, even if Chris doesn't want us too." Izzy crossed her arms, shrugging her shoulders as well.

"Eh, if you ask me, I blame Mayor Hatchet for these things happening. I mean, he was wanting a petting zoo in this place, but he refused it."

"First of all, that's a petty thing to blame and hate someone for." Gwen said, walking over to them. "Second, Izzy, there is one in this town, and I use to work at it."

"Well..." The crazy girl felt dumb after hearing that being said. "I guess I didn't look around for it...oops." Izzy then looks up at the water tower, rather wanting to stay focused on looking for evidence. "Hey! You! Boy with the brown hair! You found anything up there?!" Cody looks down.

"Oh no! She's here too?!" Cody shouts, looking down from the top of the tower.

"Hey! She got herself involved!" Noah shouts up at his best friend. "No offence, Izzy."

"None taken." The crazy girl said, holding up a hand.

"Well like that girl you were talking to! Tell that girl to get lost! We might as well kiss our asses goodbye if she gets involved!" Cody shouts to Noah still. "Besides, we could do so much better than having some random girl who's got the behavior of drinking twenty cans of Coca-Cola with a plate of ten Snickers Bars! We don't need a psychopath who can destroy our chances of helping our town be helping us out and..."

This was the point when Noah and Gwen point to Cody's right side. The geeky boy looked over to the right, seeing Izzy standing next to him, arms crossed, glare plastered on her face. Cody's face turns into a face of fear when he saw the crazy girl standing there. He gulps, as the insane girl punches the palm of her hand with a fist.

"No wait...OH NO!" Cody screams.

Down below, Gwen and Noah cringed at the sight of Izzy punching Cody right in his face, causing him to fly backwards, landing on the platform below. Then the girl went down to the ground, brushing off her hands, as she went up to Gwen and Noah.

"Well...that could've been...better..." Noah said. "I guess you felt good after doing that? Anyway...ignoring that little fact, did found any sort of evidence up there?" Izzy points up at the water tower.

"I found a boy with a black eye. That's what I found." Izzy said. "Aside from that, I found this note that was up there." Izzy hands a piece of paper that Cody actually found up there. Gwen looked at the note.

"Can I see that?" Gwen asked.

"Sure." Izzy hands Gwen the paper, as she goth read the note to herself.

'_It seems like everything is the same in this town. Same houses, same buildings, the only thing I noticed is that the mayor is some guy named...Chef Hatchet or something. Then I saw a face that I never seen in a very long time, and that was...' _This was what the note said. The last part of the sentence appeared to be missing, as this paper was torn in half. Gwen looks over to Noah.

"It's the same hand-writing from the paper I found at the river. So that means whoever wrote that note that I found, also wrote this. But...this doesn't make any sense..." Gwen said.

"How does it not make sense? Isn't it obvious that it's the same man? Or woman?" Izzy asked.

"Well...yeah...but...why would he be writing the notes if he's killed Scott and Lightning? And why write these notes as if they are from a diary?"

"Those notes were probably written by him or her ahead of time."

"Izzy's got a point." Noah said.

"True..." Gwen said. "But...I don't get why he or she would be placing...THESE during the deaths of his victims." Gwen places this note in her pocket, before looking at Noah and Izzy again. "I honestly don't know why this person is leaving these things behind. The baseball cap was probably a mistake, but something is telling me that these papers are not exactly...accidents."

"So...what are we going to do about these papers? Should we bring them to Detective McLean?" Izzy asked.

"Hell no. He told me to stay out of this. So...in case anything like this happens, I'm making sure that I'll find stuff like this. Maybe it'll help figure out who this is before it gets out of hand."

"Seems like suicide." Noah said.

"Well...it's finding evidence. Even if Chris turns me down for all of this."

"Hey, I wanted to try to be helping out Chris out in this in the past. I should be able to figure out who this person who's doings these crimes did." Noah then walks over to the sidewalk. "Look, I think I'm going to head off to Kitty and Emma's house to try to talk to them about that paper you found. You mind coming with me?"

"Sure."

"Can I join?!" Izzy asked, raising a hand.

"No!" Noah and Gwen shouts in unison.

"Aw..."

"Anyways, let's go off to Kitty and Emma's house so that we can show them these papers already. We need all the help we can get."

Noah and Gwen began to walk off to their friend's house, as Izzy headed off to her own house. Cody, on the other hand, finally sat up, rubbing his head after recovering from the punch that Izzy gave him. He stood up, then looks down, noticing that the three he was with were now gone.

"Ah, damn it, this feels like my time in daycare all over again..." Cody said. "Where'd you guys go?! So I told Izzy not to get involved! Who cares?!" Cody got no response. "You know! You guys left me up here!? No One?! Fine!" Cody went down the ladder, and then headed off to Emma and Kitty's house too, completely defeated by the fact that his friends left him.


	12. Chapter 12

So Noah and Gwen began to walk their way over to the house where Kitty and Emma lived in. The two of them talked about the two papers that they found, until they ended up almost bumping into a person who was coming around the corner. For Noah, who knew that it would've been somebody that he use to be friends with.

The girl has brown hair that is shoulder-length, as well as some freckles on her face. She also wore a gray shirt with a white polo-shirt underneath, as well as green pants. This is Courtney, a girl who's probably one of the smartest girls from the college that the others have graduated from. Noah's former crush, before she went off to Duncan, while Noah ended up falling in love with Emma instead. However, Noah did remained neutral with Courtney, despite this. However, Courtney wasn't too thrilled of Gwen due to her being skeptical of being in love with Duncan, despite being with Trent.

"Uh...hi, Courtney..." Noah said, rubbing his arm, nervously. "It's...been awhile..."

"I know, it's been awhile, Noah." Courtney said, looking at the shorter man between the two of them. She then glared at Gwen. "Hello goth girl..." Gwen rolled her eyes hearing that.

"It's Gwen..." The goth girl mutters, not amused by that. "Look, we're trying to figure out something. Alright?" Gwen shows her the paper that Izzy found up at the water tower. Courtney took the paper, before reading it herself. "Are you aware of what happened to Scott and Lightning?"

"I..."

Courtney was at a lost for words, remembering that Duncan actually told her everything about what has happened to the two boys. She wanted to believe that Duncan was faking everything that he was telling her before, but after more of her friends brought it up to her, she was having second thoughts about it being nothing but cruel jokes. She rubs her neck, before handing the paper back to Noah.

"I-I actually did hear about it." Courtney said. "I mean, Duncan told me all about it...and...you know what, where did you get these two papers? I don't think these are related to what happened to Scott and Lightning."

"Well, both were found near the spots where they died, so...we felt like this was evidence somehow." Noah said to his former crush. "Do you know the handwriting of whoever this is? Because from the last paper, it said somebody who lived here before. So I assume that it is somebody our age." Courtney taps her chin, looking at the piece of paper again.

"I don't recognize this. As for who left and returned here, I have no idea."

"Okay. Sorry if...we disrupted you from going somewhere..." Noah said, scratching the back of his head again. "We'll get out of your way now. You're...probably heading off to Duncan's house." The smart girl shook her head.

"Actually...I was off to the diner to pick me up some food. With the recent events that's been happening, I felt like just...trying to get all of this out of my head right now, or else I'd probably lose my mind."

"I see. Well...we'll just let you walk by now. Hopefully...we'll see each other again."

"Maybe we will, Noah." Courtney said, smiling at her friend. "I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye."

Just as Courtney left, Gwen's glare turned over to Noah, who was just standing there smiling. She narrows her eyes in a glare, not really liking the idea of Noah being in love with Courtney. Even back in their college days, she didn't like the idea of him trying to get together with her. It's crazy to her to know that Noah still has feelings towards the girl deep down.

The goth waves a hand in front of the man's face, trying to get his attention, and to snap him out of it. Noah shook his head, extremely quickly, before looking over to Gwen.

"What?" Noah asked.

"You like Emma now, remember?" Gwen asked him, in her usual deadpan tone. "Besides, Courtney has Duncan now. Just thought you should be reminded." Noah frowns, before sighing.

"Okay...okay..." Noah said, rather disappointed, but agreed with the first part that Gwen said, that he likes Emma now. "Still wish she had somebody better than him though. I mean, what does a girl like her see in a guy like...well, him anyway?"

"Probably because Duncan is kind of cool to hang out around." Noah rolled his eyes.

"Says the girl who's dating Trent."

"Hey, shut up. Me and him have a lot of things in common. Granted, he can get overprotective of me at times, but he's a gentleman overall." Noah nods his head, not saying anything back to the goth. This was the moment that Cody finally caught up with the two of them. "Oh, there you are Cody. I was wondering where you were."

"Yeah, I was almost forgotten back there, considering Izzy punched me dead in my face!" Cody shouts, throwing his arms in the air. He then lowers his arms. "Also, uh...Noah..."

"I know, you saw Courtney on the way back up to us, I know."

"Oh, you guys saw her too."

"Guys, enough talking about dates and crushes and what-not? Can we just get Emma and Kitty and go somewhere so that we can try to figure out how we're going to handle all of this?" Gwen asked the two boys she was with. Noah nods his head.

"Right, sorry. Let's just go find our two friends."

"Okay." Cody said.

* * *

With the girl that saw the three on the block moments ago...

Izzy was spying on Zoey as she was heading to somebody's house. The girl had binoculars in her hands as she was sitting on the roof of one of the houses across the street. She kept her eyes on the red-haired girl as she was walking up to the front door of somebody's house.

'_Who is this mysterious girl? I never seen her walking around the college, nor the neighborhood, nor the woods, nor the...sky, does that make sense? No. Who the hell cares?!_' Izzy said in her thoughts, as she kept the binoculars near her eyes. '_All Izzy knows is that THAT girl wasn't around anyone who died, or disappeared. But she seems so weak. How can a girl like that win a fight between herself and Scott, or Lightning. A girl like that would break like a twig._'

Still staring at Zoey, she noticed the door opening across the street. Izzy tried to get a good look to see who's house Zoey was walking inside, only to hear somebody's voice from below. It was Trent.

"Uh, Izzy! We talked about this!" Trent's voice shouts from below. Izzy looks off of the roof, seeing Trent in front of his house. "I told you to not appear on my roof again. Remember?"

"Oh. Hi Trent! I...forgotten that you found me on your roof after something like...Geoff's party." Izzy said, before climbing down the ladder that she borrowed from the boy as well. Once she was down on the ground, she looked at Trent again. "I saw some girl walking across the street, meeting up with some person that...might be a secret meeting..."

"You mean visiting her boyfriend?"

"Like visiting her boyfri-wait, what?"

"She's meeting her boyfriend. Mike. The two have been together for awhile now." Izzy then looks at the house, before sighing. She nods her head. "Why are you even spying on her anyway? What do you have against a girl like her?"

"Just...wondering who was the one who was the one who killed Scott and Lightning. She was passing Gwen, Noah, and Cody while they were searching around a random water tower. I believe that we might have a bit of a case if we keep our eyes on that girl with the flower in her hair."

"So because she is somebody you've never seen before around town, you instantly think that she's the person who killed the two boys before?" Izzy held up a finger, ready to speak, only to drop her arm, silently. "Look, you're barking up the wrong tree if you're going to assume it's that Zoey girl. By the looks of her, she seems like a pretty nice girl. Okay?" Izzy nods.

"Don't worry, I'll leave her be."

"Great. Thank you for taking my advice, Izzy." Trent walks over to his front door, entering the house.

Once Trent entered his house, Izzy jumped over the fence that was surrounding Gwen's boyfriend's house. She then headed off, wondering who that Zoey girl is. The insane girl kept an eye on the house that that Zoey girl walked into.

She was also wondering why Trent was against her wanting to help try to solve this mystery. Probably because Detective McLean doesn't want anyone going around doing the work of the police. But Trent's not a policeman, or a detective, or a secret agent. Izzy wasn't over wanting to try to solve this mystery yet. She still doesn't trust that Zoey girl, and she is going to have to keep her eyes on her.

* * *

Meanwhile...

By the edge of the town...

Duncan was looking out to the forest that was surrounding the entirety of the town. The juvie punk knew for a fact that there was some sort of place where there's small planes in the North part of the forest. Chris told him to not go in there and endanger himself, including his friends. He felt like it was the only way out of this town.

The boy didn't exactly know where that yard was, but he was planning on going to it to try to escape the forest itself. Mainly if the whole situation gets worse, he was going to go off to escape with his friends. He just had to be lucky to find it. He didn't know the entire forest, as he was too fearful to walk in there.

So the punk was still looking out to the forest, standing there with his arms crossed, until his friend Alejandro approaches him. The Spanish man stood next to Duncan, wondering what the guy was thinking about. It was a couple moments of silence, until one of them spoke. It was Alejandro that spoke up first.

"So what are you thinking about, Duncan?" Alejandro asked.

"I remember my dad talking to me about this one hangar with planes that was out there in the forest." Duncan said. "It might be our best bet out of the forest, since nearly all of us got lost out there. I think that one guy, what's his name?" Duncan snaps his fingers near his head, trying to think of a friend of theirs that went out into the forest before. He then remembered his friend's name. "Oh right, that guy Justin. He said he was wanting to head out to Seattle, then got lost. We never saw him again."

"I see..."

"Hopefully he's okay." Duncan then looks over to Alejandro. "If you ask me though...just as long as we have a car, we could be able to go out into the forest, and head to that hangar. What do you say, man?"

"I doubt that we should do that, amigo. Considering that the other two friends of ours got killed, we shouldn't attempt anything, until Detective McLean does something about this..."

"Oh, he and Mayor Hatchet are doing nothing while we're all getting our asses mutilated! If those two are going to be incompetent, we should have every reason to leave this town! If those two are going to stand around and let more people die, then fuck them! Besides, think about it this way...near the hangar, is near Scott's farm, or that's what Scott says." Duncan looks out to the forest again. "I mean, how hard could it be to find two locations out there in there forest anyway? I doubt it could be THAT difficult."

"Tell that to Justin..." The Spanish man said under his breath. "I don't mean to against you, but I refuse to leave without Heather. She still lives in this town."

"Then take her with us. Because once we're out there in the forest, there's no going back to this town." Duncan looks up at the sky, seeing how long they have until it was nighttime. "Shit...it's almost nighttime...I don't think we should go in that forest now that it's almost night. Hey, you cool with meeting me back here until morning?"

"As you wish."

"Okay. Get Jo before you come here as well."

"I will..."

"Great. Then we'll meet at this spot, tomorrow morning."

"Agreed..."

The two boys began to walk two different directions. Alejandro went off to his girlfriend's house, while Duncan was left to walk off to his own own. Little did the two of them know, there was a shadowy figure watching them from a distance, overhearing their entire plan on leaving the town. But before it could be seen, it walked back into the alleyway that it was hiding in.


	13. Chapter 13

Later that night...

Out in the town...

Considering that nighttime seems to be the most dangerous time of day now for this town, that didn't stop some people from walking around to go hangout at some places. With Trent and Gwen on the other hand, they went out on a date tonight, as Gwen was wanting to take a break from all this stuff that was going on around town. Trent was trying to keep out of all of this shit as well, as he didn't want to be a victim to this disaster.

So Trent was driving along the road, as Gwen was sitting next to him in the front seat. It wasn't a really busy night tonight, so driving to the place they were going to was easy to get to. Rock music played on the radio as they were driving to their dating location.

Along the way to the restaurant that they were going to, Trent spoke up to Gwen as they were sitting there in the car. He smiled at her, wanting to break the silence. "Hey, Gwen, you've been silent the whole entire car ride. Is something wrong?" Trent asked. Gwen looks at her boyfriend, before sighing.

"Honestly, I feel worried Trent..." Gwen said. "Recently, there have been two deaths in this town, and I'm worried who's going to be next."

"Do you have any clues yet?"

"Well, just a baseball cap and two pieces of paper. All of which doesn't make any sort of sense. I don't know who owns those two things, well...three things, and I don't know why they have killed those two people." Gwen rubs her forehead, trying to piece together who the person could be. "I don't know anyone who moved back here in our town, but...I don't know anyone who is acting or...being suspicious, or...I don't know if there's someone out of the ordinary around town, and...I just don't know, Trent. I really don't know."

"Hey sweetie. You're taking a break from that stuff right now. I'm sure there's more evidence around here somewhere." Gwen chuckles a bit before frowning.

"You seem calm, considering recent events."

"That's because I'm waiting for all of this to just die down." Trent shook his head, before they parked in the parking lot of the restaurant that they were going to eat at. "Not that I'm not worried about all of the things that have happened, but I am trying to keep myself out of this one. Because...maybe they are not after some people in this town."

"Well...by the looks of one of the papers, they appear to be said that they saw one person, but...strangely, the paper was torn at the end there. So...I don't know who it is that they are talking about." The goth reaches for her pocket, only to realize that she wasn't holding the papers right now. "Damn it...I forgot I left that paper at home. It's like they'd knew I find the papers or something." Gwen sighed, as Trent turns off the car. "Screw it right now...lets just go on our date so I could...try to get my mind off of all of this shit."

"Maybe that's for the best."

"Agreed."

So Trent and Gwen got out of the car, and headed off to the building that they were going to eat at. They headed inside, just as Jo was heading out of the building. But the couple didn't notice her leaving, since she ate there after a trip to the town's gym. She walked over to the bus stop, waiting for a bus to come pick her up.

* * *

The sporty girl stood there, waiting for the bus to come. It took about a couple minutes until the entirety of the streets became empty and Jo was the only one left on the streets. Everyone else was inside, while Jo was all alone. She was getting inpatient, wondering where the bus even is. Even worse is that, not only is she starting to become the only person on the street, but it looks like the street lights are beginning to turn off, one by one. This started to scare the girl now.

'_Shit...well...looks like I'm going to have to make a break for my house, if whoever the fuck is out here is still around._' Jo said in her thoughts.

Before she could move, she looked around the area for a couple minutes, making sure that whoever that was wasn't anywhere in sight first. She knew she couldn't trust the fact that she was alone. Looking around, Jo stopped looking around, immediately when she saw one light turn on by itself, revealing somebody with a black jacket with the hoodie up, as well as a bunch of scarfs covering his face. The man appeared to be holding a hammer in his hands as he was standing there.

'_Son of a bitch, that might be the guy who killed Scott and Lighting..._' Jo said in her thoughts again. '_I'm not standing around for that prick to kill me, I'm so out of here!_'

Jo started to make her way towards the neighborhood, keeping her eyes on the person who was still standing there under the street lamp. The man doesn't appear to be moving at all, which was good enough for the sporty girl anytime. Just as she was entering the neighborhood, however, the man began to dash for her.

"Crap!" Jo shouts, as she began to run instead of speed-walk.

The girl didn't stop running, not looking back, not taking any chances of slowing down. She wasn't going to get killed like her two other friends, she was not dying tonight. She was going straight to her house, and making sure that all of her doors and windows are locked when she makes it there.

Still running through the dark street, Jo didn't stop running, until she ended up turning the corner, crashing into somebody...

The girl was now lying on the ground after she crashed into that person who she ran into...

Jo kept her eyes closed, knowing that if she opens her eyes right now, she'll probably see the killer standing above her, ready to kill her. But she wasn't going to just lay there and die, she was going to show this guy what for, for killing her two other friends. She was ready to fight this person, no matter what they have to kill her with.

But upon opening her eyes, she was relieved to see that it was Courtney instead of whoever that man was...

"Oh, it's you Courtney." Jo said, taking deep breaths, as she stood up from the ground. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I was heading to go talk to Mayor Hatchet about what his plans on on the whole ordeal with the mysterious man on the loose in this town. What are you doing out here?" Courtney asked.

"I think I saw the person running after me. I'm heading back home, right now!"

"There's a person chasing you?!"

"Yeah! He should be right on my tail right..."

Jo turns around, noticing that there was nobody chasing her now. The lights were all on, unlike the town area. Even the resident's lights were all on as well, but that doesn't help the streets being nearly completely dark, so those were out of the question. The sporty girl was dumbfounded, seeing that the person chasing her was no longer out there.

"W-What the..." Jo said, before shaking her head. "I thought he or...she was chasing me..." Courtney looked behind Jo, seeing that there was nobody behind her as well. She shrugged.

"I don't see anyone behind you. So I think you're in for the clear." Courtney said. "Look, you seem pretty jumpy about what you have seen out there in the town. I believe you when you say that there was a person chasing you. But for now, just head back home, and lock your doors and windows..."

"That's exactly what I was going to do. Now don't tell me what to do about that, bystander, I'm heading home." Jo runs pass Courtney, heading back off to her own house.

"So much for helping..."

Courtney began to walk off to the town hall as well, as Jo ran off to her own house still. From a distance, the same guy was looking at the two girls from a hedge across the street, looking at the two of them when they were talking. The person went behind the hedge, hiding from their sights.


	14. Chapter 14

Meanwhile...

Izzy was in her bedroom, pacing around it. She had a bulletin board that was on the wall, with photos of everyone she knew personally on. She held a marker in her hand, as she was trying to figure out who could the person doing all of this be. While she was trying to think, she heard a knock on the door.

The usually crazy girl came downstairs with a baseball bat in hand, ready to fight off whoever was outside of her house. She knew that if she was going to try to figure out who this person she, she was going to be attacked by the person as well. She kept her defense in hand as she approached the door. Swinging it open, she raised a bat, screaming extremely loud, scaring the person on the other side.

"Jeez, Izzy! It's just me!" A man's voice said.

Izzy looks ahead, seeing that it was her boyfriend, Owen. Her boyfriend is an overweight fellow with blonde messy hair. He wore a white t-shirt with a green maple leave on the front of it. He even wore green shorts. He and Izzy dated ever since the start of their college years, and they have been together for about, at least, four years now. Izzy doesn't exactly know how long they've been together. She doesn't even know that she even went to college.

"Oh, Owen. It's you!" Izzy said, lowering her bat. "What brings you here tonight? E-Scope is busy, trying to figure out something." Owen walks in, carrying tons of food in his hands.

"Well, it turns out there's this awesome restaurant that Gwen and Trent walked into. I walked out, and then that Jo girl ran away for some reason." Owen explains to her. "I don't know why she ran off, but she looked really afraid. I don't know why." Izzy shrugged her shoulders, before Owen spoke again. "So what are you trying to figure out?"

"Oh, something about who that guy chasing Jo is."

"Wait, there was a guy chasing Jo?"

"I don't know. I think so, since you brought that up to me." The two walked into the living room, continuing this talk. "I'm trying to find out who this person is, and why he killed Scott and Lightning." Owen's eyes widened when he heard about the two people who died.

"Oh my God! Scott and Lightning are dead?!"

"Yeah. But hey, at least you're not dead. Right?" Owen frowns, but doesn't appear angry, despite that attempt of optimism towards the situation appeared to be in poor taste. Izzy then frowns. "Oh...sorry, too soon?" Owen slowly frowns. "Right. Anyways...do you know anyone who appears out of the ordinary? Like, somebody who could be a...suspicious person?"

"Well..." Owen then pulls out a hamburger, eating it while he thinks about who seems out of the normal to him. "...If you ask me...the only person who I know nothing about is that one blonde girl?" Izzy raises an eyebrow, as Owen continued talking. "This girl...she has a surfboard with her, but we're near a lake, are there even waves in there for her to surf, unlike the ocean? I don't get that."

"Go on..."

"I also heard that that girl is Geoff's girlfriend."

"Oh, well...then I know where I could find her." Izzy then looks out the window. "I think I should tell Noah and Cody this."

Owen's eyes widened hearing that first name being said. For the majority of his time in college, Noah and him have had multiple interactions. The two actually knew each other ever since daycare, but then Noah ended up becoming friends with Cody instead. Probably because Cody had a PlayStation 4 at his house, and the two play video games together a lot, while Owen is off with Izzy.

"Noah?! It's been awhile since I heard about him!" Owen said. But then he frowns again, a little bit confused. "Wait, why is he trying to help out on a mystery like this? Doesn't he know that this is dangerous?"

"Noah wanted to try to help out with Detective McLean after college." Izzy said. "That's what I heard from Gwen when she was on the phone with him. But hey, considering that I am helping them out, there being one more help isn't going to be that bad. Me, Noah, Gwen, Cody, and you are going to try to find out about this guy."

"Okay!" Owen then looks at his girlfriend, a little confused. "So...uh...what now? I'm here and I don't know what to do."

"Why not we watch TV? I'll save trying to find out about this guy later, I want to watch some Knight Rider on our date." Izzy said, picking up the remote control off of the coffee table. "Besides, looking at cars talk always make me calm down."

"Same here." Izzy turns the TV on, and the two started to watch some TV.

* * *

Speaking of Noah and Cody...

The two were at the house of the former, as Noah was looking out his own window, and Cody was sitting on his best friend's bed. Kitty was looking at her phone, as Emma was sitting at the desk, holding up her phone, wondering who could be suspicious around town. As the four of them were sitting around Noah's bedroom, the sound of the phone ringing was heard.

Noah knew he left his phone in his bathroom by accident, so he had to go receive it to see who it was. But when Noah was about to leave his bedroom, Cody held his best friend on the shoulder, shaking his head. Noah looks behind himself, looking at the geeky boy behind him.

"What?" The sarcastic boy asked.

"Dude, I think it's best not to go to the phone." Cody said, shaking his head. "I seen so many horror movies enough to know, that going to the phone is a very bad idea. Even worse, being away from the group is probably the worst thing you can do." The sarcastic boy rolled his eyes, before walking out of his bedroom.

"Cody, you're overreacting. The bathroom is literately across the hallway." Cody looks behind his best friend, seeing that the room across to the other wall was the bathroom. "No big deal. Now stay right here, I got to see if that's either Izzy, or Gwen, or...who knows who."

"Fine. You know where the rest of us will be."

Noah approaches his bathroom sink, seeing his phone laying next to the faucet. He looks at who was calling him, only to see that it was indeed, Izzy. He wondered what she was calling him for, but assumed that she had a couple ideas on who the person who did all of this was. Picking up the phone, Noah places the phone next to his ear, curious with what Izzy was going to tell him.

"Hello!" Izzy shouts on the phone.

"What's going on, Izzy? If you haven't realized, I'm kinda busy with a couple things." Noah said, looking off to his bedroom. "Anyways...what do you want? Do you have any ideas on who it could be doing all of this and why?"

"Oh, no! I'm not calling for that, I don't have any clue who this person could be. I just have some news that I have to tell you." The boy raises an eyebrow, a bit confused by what she was going to tell him, but then Izzy continued to speak. "Anyways, you know your friend from daycare? You know, Owen? My boyfriend, the one who loves food?"

"Uh..."

Noah got interrupted by the insane girl after he attempted to speak. "He's helping us out with trying to find out who this person is!"

"SAY WHAT NOW?!"

"He came to visit me tonight, and he and I talked, and then we watched that one show with the talking car, and then we..." Izzy stops herself, before Noah slams himself on the forehead. "Come on, Noah! I heard that face-palm on the other end of this phone! I can hear you all the way at my house!" The boy sighed, before speaking again.

"Izzy, as much as I miss Owen back from daycare and all that stuff, but if you haven't noticed, the more people you bring along to help me and my friends out on this, the more people you're endangering?"

"Oh please! You're talking to me! I know how to fight."

"That's both encouraging to hear, as well as concerning..." Noah said, in his usual sarcastic tone of voice. He then looks over to Cody who was looking out of the window, making sure that nobody was approaching the house. "Look, if you see anything strange happening outside your house, make sure you warn me, Cody, Emma, Kitty, or Gwen. We're all making sure that nobody else is in danger."

"Oh...boy..."

"Izzy, what are you saying?"

"...Well...you know..."

"Damn it, Izzy! Speak up! What do you know?! Are you even trying to say?"

"Look, I overheard from hiding in a tree that Duncan, Alejandro, Jo, and...I think Courtney are heading out to that one hangar that's out in the forest. I don't know about you, but I believe that you guys should be concerned about that." Noah's eyes widened hearing that.

"Figures..." Noah mutters to himself, before glaring to the ground. "...Meet me at the forest so that we can deal with Duncan and his friends. No way in hell is he going to leave this town, knowing that the forest is probably more dangerous than walking around the town...now, I mean." Noah then looks at his bedroom across the way again, before shaking his head. "Look, maybe if there's a bigger crowd, maybe whoever that person is will be a little more intimidated by us. Bigger the group, worse for the person trying to harm us."

"I don't think that's how it works!" Cody shouts from the bedroom.

"Stay out of this, Cody!" Noah shouts to his best friend, before looking at himself in the mirror. He appeared to be pretty tired, by the looks of himself. The man felt like he was seriously losing it, since recent. He places a hand on his forehead, before ending his call with Izzy. "Look, I think I'm too tired to continue onward with this bullshit, alright? I think I'll talk to you tomorrow in the morning. For now, don't go telling Detective McLean about what Duncan is doing. Will you do that please?"

"Hey, don't worry, I won't tell him anything about this."

"Seriously, Izzy. We don't need a mass panic because a bunch of teens, who are most likely their sons or daughters, probably walking out into the forest, knowing that they, us included, could get lost in there. Anyways, I got to go continue my date with Owen. E-Scope is out."

"Yeah, E-Scope, whatever. Bye."

Noah hangs out the phone, before sighing in annoyance at Duncan. He knew that the punk often left his schools in the past, left juvie without the others knowing, even skipped one of his days of college just for a damn carnival, that was the size of a parking lot. Truthfully, Noah never really saw any sort of good in Duncan. Nothing but a vile man with a green mohawk on his head. Nothing but trouble he says to himself, every single moment he sees the guy.

So knowing what the bullies are going to end up doing tomorrow, Noah felt like it was in his right to go and tell the other three about what they were doing. Noah enters his bedroom, as Cody, Emma, and Kitty looked at him entering the room.

"Well...good news, that was Izzy. Bad news, however...Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro are planning on escaping this town by that hangar that's out in the forest." Noah tells them. The three looked surprised hearing that being said. "Oh, also, Owen is now getting involved in all of this too."

"Duncan is planning that?! Seriously?! Leaving town into that forest full of death!?" Cody asked. "If he hasn't noticed, it's rare that anyone finds our town, and many people got lost after leaving the road! If he doesn't know as well, that hangar isn't connected to the road!"

"I bet he knows that. That's why we are going to talk some sense into him."

"WHAT?! Hell no, man!"

"What?"

"You can get me involved in finding clues about who this person is, and why he is doing all of this. I can go and make sure that this guy doesn't end up killing anymore of my friends. But tell me to go out there into that forest, dude, you know damn well I'm just going to say no."

"Cody, we can't do this without you." Kitty raises a hand.

"I...think I rather not go out there as well. That forest scares me." Kitty said. Emma looks at Noah, before standing up from the desk.

"Well...since I want this guy to be punished as much as Noah does, I believe it's in my right to go with him out there to stop Duncan and his friends from leaving." Emma said. "Kitty, I know you're scared, but at least come along with me since you have a good memory of what paths we took. Besides, remember when we were kids and we played 'Capture the Flag' in that one maze?" Kitty nods. "Well, I think you should come along anyway." Kitty looks down, defeated by her sister's words.

"Damn it. Fine, I'll come with you."

"Thank you."

"Fine..." Cody said, walking over to the door. "...That forest is extremely dangerous remember. If you're going out there just to get lost and die, don't say I never warned you guys." The boy then points to his watch. "I must go home now. My parents are probably wondering where I am right now anyway. Bye."

"Yeah, bye to you too." Noah said.

"We'll head home too. It seems like tonight, as well as the many days before, has been stressful for all of us." Kitty said.

"Yeah...I think I need to go get some sleep." Noah looks over to Emma, nodding his head at her. "I'll...see you tomorrow, Emma."

"See you tomorrow too, Noah. You get some rest now, okay?" Emma told him.

"Okay."


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, or early in the morning, Duncan was standing outside the forest, waiting for Jo and Alejandro to arrive at the entrance. The punk paced around the front of the entrance, wondering where his other two friends are. Hopefully, they weren't taken by the person who's killed Scott and Lightning. If they were, then it looks like Duncan would be going into the forest by himself.

He waited a couple more moments, until Jo and Alejandro finally arrived at the spot where he was standing. They both had backpacks on their backs, ready to head into the forest to find this hangar that Duncan was talking about. Jo and Alejandro approached Duncan as the punk stopped walking.

"It's about time. Where the hell were you two?" Duncan asked the two of them.

"We were packing our stuff, Dun Prick." Jo said, crossing her arms. "You could wait a good few minutes until we got here." Duncan rolled his eyes at the fact that Jo gave him that name, again. He didn't like it the first time she used that as an insult. "Anyways, enough standing around, we hitting this hangar place or what?"

"We are. I got all that we need to go to the hangar out there. I got us food, I got us baseball bats..."

"If Lightning died since me and him used baseball bats, I don't think those bats are going to be safe options for us." The punk glares at her, before speaking again.

"Are you done?" Jo nods. "Thank you. Well...other things that I brought along are flashlights, a map, and a couple air-horns."

"Why would you bring air-horns for?" Alejandro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In case one of us gets lost, then we can use that to guide our way back. You know, how they use the North Star in that one story? Except we are using these things to guide our way back to ourselves."

"Right...then the killer will hear those horns, and then he or she will come find us, and then end our lives." Jo said.

"Look, unless you think this is suddenly a bad idea, then stay here. If you want to just go ahead with this anyway, then go right ahead." Duncan places his backpack on himself, then points to the forest ahead of them. "Me and Alejandro will be off. Follow along if you're still willing to."

Duncan started to walk into the forest by himself, then Alejandro followed along. Jo, on the other hand, wasn't too sure if all of what Duncan packed was such a smart idea of not. She knew that Justin guy got lost in the woods those years back, but is getting lost in the forest better than waiting in the same neighborhood where there's a person out there, most likely killing everyone? Jo knew this was a lose lose situation regardless.

"Screw it..." Jo mutters to herself, before following the two boys. "Hey, wait up!" Duncan smirked, looking back at the sporty girl coming for him and Alejandro.

"Finally changed your mind, huh?" Duncan asked in his usual sly tone. "It's about time you did."

"Shut up before you wish you're lost in the woods right now, Dork Can."

"Yeah...whatever..."

From a distance, the same shadowy figure from last time watched Duncan and his friends entering the forest. Once the three of them were out of the person's sights, the figure walks back into the hedge that he was hiding near.

* * *

A couple moments later, Noah and his friends finally made it to the entrance to the forest as well. The four of them stood there waiting for Izzy and Owen, wondering where the two of them were right now. Even more so, Cody was expecting Gwen to be here, since he called her last night so that she can help in some sort of way.

It felt like ages, waiting for Izzy and Owen to finally get to their spot. Cody was getting more impatient, waiting for Gwen to finally arrive at their spot. Cody kept on looking at his phone time to time, wondering where his goth crush is.

"God damn it...where is Gwen? I thought she was going to be here by now." Cody asked, muttering all of this to himself. Noah looks over to Cody.

"Gwen called me minutes ago. She said that she was going to Detective McLean to try to stop those bullies from leaving the town." Noah told his best friend. "Hopefully, Chris won't get too angry with us for getting involved in this shit, despite he said we shouldn't get ourselves involved in something like this."

Noah then walks over to one of the trees that were to the left side of the entrance. Kitty looks behind herself, seeing the sarcastic boy standing by the entrance, waiting for Izzy and Owen to arrive. Kitty taps Emma on her shoulder, pointing at Noah behind herself.

This made Emma want to go over to Noah to see how things are going with him. Clearly, she knew that everyone, including herself, are stressed out by the situation at hand. Despite this, she decided to go and at least, try to comfort her friends in this whole ordeal. Emma stood next to Noah, looking deep into the forest, wondering what her friend is thinking right now.

"Duncan, Jo, and Lightning should be somewhere in there, huh?" Emma asked Noah. The boy nodded. "Well...I'm a little worried if we will find them either dead or alive in that forest."

"Even though I hate Duncan..." Noah said, nearly growling those words. "...I actually hope we don't find him dead in there. He might be a total prick, but I don't want him dead."

"Guess that's a good thing."

"Yeah." Noah sighed, before looking down to the ground, shaking his head. "You know...I'm actually a little hesitate about...actually trying to go deep into this forest, knowing that on foot, we could get easily lost. As a kid in this town, I always looked at these forests, and just think...if I were to walk into those woods, and plan to go somewhere else...will I get lost, and probably be..." Noah gulps. "...Dead. I even had a nightmare about going into the forest, alone..." Emma looks at her friend with a face full of sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear about that, Noah. Truthfully...I had nightmares of...losing my sister to...somebody like that...that guy..." Noah looks over to the more serious of the sisters. "I mean...now that there's one that's...lurking around here...who knows where..." Emma suddenly looked very afraid at how the future is going to be like for them. "I fear that whoever that is will go for my sister."

Noah looks behind himself, looking at Kitty talking to Cody by the street sign. He took a deep breath, before looking over to Emma. He turns towards her direction, brushing some hair out of her eyes, trying to make her look into his eyes.

"Look, Emma...I promise that no matter what, you and your sister, me and Cody will keep you safe." Noah said to her. "You guys have been a huge help to us, and...really...that's what I like about you." Emma blinked a couple times, before blushing. Noah took notice of this, then sighed. "You know what? I think since...both of us are going into the forest...I feel like something should be off of my chest, before...death..."

"What is it?" Emma asked him.

With a deep breath, Noah spoke. "I...actually kind of liked you Emma. From the day we met, I just...fell in love with you." Noah confesses to her. "The reason I didn't say anything before is because...I'm a coward...that's why. I mean...people say Cody's the bigger coward between me and him, but...I can't say what feelings I have on my mind to a girl I love and..." Noah threw a hand into the air. "...Can't believe now, when we're going into certain death, is the moment I bring this up." Emma frowned, before smiling again, placing a hand on her friend's cheek.

"Do you want my perspective of this?" Noah stood there silently, looking at Emma still. "To me...it's never too late to reveal your love for somebody." The boy smiled at her, before giving a chuckle.

"So...if we survive this...we're...together?"

"I...guess so."

The two smiled at each other, before attempting to lean into each other almost kissing. The two were about to kiss, eyes closed, and everything. But that was when the sound of an interruption was heard from afar.

"NOAH! GUYS! WE'RE HERE!" Owen shouts from the distance.

'_Damn it!_' Noah shouts in his thoughts, as he glared over to the direction of Owen and Izzy, walking their way over to the two of them.

"Sorry it took so long, we had to find a bus! But then we couldn't find one! But then we found a car, but it wasn't ours..." Izzy said, before looking out to the forest, ready to go out there to find Duncan and his friends. "Anyways, are we going to go out there and find Duncan and his buddies?! Because me and Owen are prepared to go out there and find them!"

"Save the talk, we're going to find them." Cody said, holding up a hand, signaling Izzy to be quiet. "Hey Noah, are we ready to go out there?!" Noah looks over to the many people that he was with right now.

"Yeah! Yeah! Totally!" Noah shouts back. "We can go into the forest now...oh no..." Owen came out of the nowhere, hugging Noah very tightly. "Y-Yeah, hey there, Owen...uh...you know I can't breath, right?"

"Oh, sorry Noah." Owen said, placing Noah on the ground. "It's just been so long since me and you hung out together. When was the last time we even talked together, huh? Since Daycare? It's been like...super long since we've talked. Oh boy!"

"With that amount of excitement, you kind of wonder why..." Noah said, brushing himself off.

"So what have you been doing for so long, anyway?! I heard from Izzy that you and that Cody guy have been becoming friends lately, and playing video games, and talking about girls, and..."

"Guess Izzy said a lot of things, huh?"

"Pretty much." Izzy said. Izzy then points at Emma. "Oh, Noah! I forgot to ask! What were you and your buddy here talking about?! What was your name?"

"Emma..." The serious sister said, before Izzy stops her there.

"Emma! Okay! That's a beautiful name! Given good enough to be with you, Noah!" This was when the two of them were getting embarrassed by the crazy girl's words. "I mean, beautiful eyes, beautiful hair, neat clothes, and sexy..."

"As you know!" Noah shouts, immediately stopping the girl in her words. "Me and Emma are just friends." Noah looks over to Emma, winking at her, signaling her that he's trying to keep Izzy from speaking out about this. "Can we just go out and get Duncan out of there?" Izzy nods her head.

"Yeah. Okay." Izzy said, smiling.

"Finally. Let's get out there already." Cody said, as the group began to walk into the forest. "Besides, the last thing I want to be doing is going out there at night. Then getting ourselves killed out there."

"You're overreacting, Cody. Just as long as we keep alert at all costs." Kitty said.

"Exactly." Izzy said, elbowing the girl in her arm, friendly. "Who knows what dangers could be out here! I mean, there's bugs, there's bears, there's a ton of other animals that could feast upon our bodies when we're..." The other stare at Izzy with horrified faces. "...And this is the part where I stop talking...good point..."

"Yeah. Let's just find those three before things get worse." Noah said, just as they entered the forest.


	16. Chapter 16

Now with Gwen...

Like Cody mentioned, he was off to Detective McLean's office. She came into the police station, and after a bit of a bad talk with MacArthur, Gwen was able to make her way to the office that Chris is in. Gwen held onto the doorknob, taking a deep sigh, hoping that Chris is willing to hear her out on this. Despite he was a bit of a prick to Noah and Cody in the past, Duncan was still Gwen's friend.

Opening the door, Gwen looks inside, seeing Chris sitting by the window once again. He was staring out the window, not moving an inch. Gwen closes the door, getting the detective's attention. Chris jumps at hearing the sound of the door closing, clearly scared at the fact that Gwen was inside the building now.

"Oh...Gwen...next time, tell me when you're going to enter instead of being so quiet." Chris said, irritated by the goth girl showing up. He sat down on his chair. "Anyways, what do you want? I'm clearly busy..."

"Staring out the window." Gwen said, sitting down in the chair nearby the desk. "I'm assuming that's what you're busy with?"

"Shut up! I'm busy because I'm keeping my eyes on..." Chris looks over to the window again, seeing that there was really nobody outside the station. "I'm finding the person doing all this from the safety of the police station's...second floor. Now what do you want?"

"Well...I need to talk to you about an actually emergency that's happening right now..."

"Actually emergency? Spit it out then!"

"Well...right now, at this very moment...Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro are going out of this town to find the hangar that's out there in the forest?"

Hearing this, Chris's jaw fell open, hearing this being said. He had a bad feeling that Duncan and his remaining friends would be doing something so suicidal and stupid as this problem gets either worse or better. Even worse, mentioning that forest surrounding the town, that sent chills down Chris's spine, knowing that people got lost in there with no car and no map. All of this was bad for Chris to hear.

"Fuck..." Chris mutters, standing up from the desk, then running over to the door again. "Well don't just sit there, come with me to the forest! We got to stop those psychos from getting their asses killed out there!"

"Wait! You want me to come along with you?!" Gwen asked. "Are you wanting me to go out there to die or something?"

"No, because you're clearly the closest help I got right now." Chris then points to the door. "Also, MacArthur is going to be on break. So I need to go and find a new person to have as an assistant instead of her. And since you're closer, you're going."

"Are you serious?"

"Hey, you know, I'm cool with allowing bears to eat your buddies if you're going to be sarcastic with me." Gwen held up her hands in defense, sighing in annoyance.

"Fine...I'll join along...just don't get lost in the forest."

"No, I won't get lost. Just as long as we got a car, we're totally cool." Chris then points out the door. "Now come on already, we don't have a lot of time!" Gwen nods, as the two ran out to find a police car to take.

* * *

Back in the forest...

Still walking down the road, Noah led the group deeper and deeper into the forest, trying to find the three bullies who walked in here. Noah and Emma were up front, while Kitty and Cody were in the middle, while Owen and Izzy were somewhat behind them. More like they were talking to them, or at the very least, on Owen's part, trying to light the mood.

Walking along the regular road, Noah looks behind himself, making sure that they group was still with them. Thankfully, they were. But probably because it was evident by Owen singing '_Superstition_' by Stevie Wonder as the two of them were walking down the road. This was getting on Noah's last nerve, so he had to say something while he was still leading the way.

"Have Owen, if you're wanting to encourage us on the way to this hangar, why not something that will actually be encouraging, and not...something that could get us worried like that?" Noah asked him, with an annoyed tone of voice. Owen frowns, before nodding his head.

"Okay...okay...sorry..." Owen said, as they continued to walk.

As there was nothing more but silence, Owen looks over to Izzy who was standing next to him as they were still walking. It feels like the road is going to be endless, so Owen decided to still try to lighten up the mood. He started to sing the song '_Play that Funky Music_' by Wild Cherry as they were walking. Noah glared behind himself, before he and Emma started talking.

"Sorry about that...sometimes Owen is...a lack for a better word...eccentric." Noah said to Emma. "I don't want to be mean or anything, it's just that..." Noah shook his head. "I'm sorry, it'll make me sound like an asshole."

"Hey. I know Owen can be silly. Believe me, I'm not going to deny that Izzy is downright insane." Emma said, pointing behind herself, at Izzy who was singing along with Owen.

"Anyways...um...we almost kissed back there at the entrance..."

"Yeah. We almost did." Emma chuckles a bit, before looking over to the boy that she almost kissed, before rubbing the back of her neck. "Um...hey, I'm sorry if we didn't kiss. Your friend kind of interrupted us."

"Hey. Don't worry, Emma. I'm sure we'll actually kiss later." Noah pats his friend on her back. "Not that...I'm sounding like..."

"I know. I know." Emma giggles, before placing her hands in her pockets. "But...hey, you know? At least we're together now, right?" Noah nods his head, smiling at Emma as the two of them were still walking.

"Yeah. Totally. And hey...if you really want to...maybe we can have our first date after we survive all of this." Emma smiled, before kissing Noah on the cheek. The sarcastic man blushes, almost fainting after he was kissed.

"Oh my...that was nice..."

With Cody and Kitty now...

The two were walking side by side as they were following their friends into the forest. They saw the whole thing about Emma kissing Noah on the cheek from their spot, even if Owen and Izzy are randomly goofing around nearby. Cody chuckles to himself, before crossing his arms, and shaking his head. He knew that those two were together, even if he didn't know the whole story about that.

"Oh, those two are going to be a good couple. I can tell you that." Cody said, looking over to Kitty. "What do you think?" Kitty giggles, before pulling her phone out, and taking a picture of the people in front of them.

"I'm so making sure that this is a picture on my phone." Kitty said, before placing her phone back into her pocket. "I'm so proud of my sister for finally getting a boyfriend." Cody nods his head, before Owen walked over to Cody and Kitty.

"Hey...do you guys ever get scared of walking through these woods?" Owen asked.

"Yeah." Cody said. "I believe it's obvious that none of us wants to be out here." Cody said, before looking ahead of himself. "One moment, hey Noah! Do you know if we're getting closer to this hangar that you're talking about?"

"I hope so. I don't exactly know where this place is either. Many students just say that there's one out here, but I don't know where it is." Noah said, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

"Well...this is going to be awhile..." Cody mutters, before Kitty nods her head.

"I couldn't agree more." Kitty said, agreeing with the geeky boy.


	17. Chapter 17

With Duncan and his two friends, they were still walking down the road, trying to find the hangar still. Duncan looks behind himself, wondering how far away they were from their town. By the looks of it...he honestly has no idea how far out they've walked. Even with the map, Duncan has absolutely no clue. Not like the three of them really care all that much, considering not that they were out here, there's no going back.

Only Detective McLean could be able to bring them back to the town. But to them, it's doubtful anyone knows that they are out here...

Looking down at his phone, Duncan could see that it was around lunchtime when they were still out here. It was ten in the morning when they came into the forest, but this two hours of walking, felt like an eternity. Thankfully, none of the three got lost along the way.

"How far are we now?" Jo asked.

"I'm pretty sure that we should be close. I think." Duncan said, looking forward. Jo rolled her eyes.

"Oh I'm sure...I bet we're just walking out to the middle of nowhere, until we can't walk any longer. Just great..." Duncan rolled his eyes at Jo's sarcastic remark. "Can we stop somewhere? We've been walking for two hours..."

"Stopping's not an option. Unless you want to die out here if whoever that's doing all of this is out here somewhere."

"I don't mean to side with Duncan, but continuing is our best option." Alejandro said, looking over to Jo. "I really want to know where we're going when we finally arrive at this little hangar that's out here. So...where are we going when we get there?"

"I...haven't exactly thought that far ahead. I was thinking maybe London, England, since...I don't know, seems cool."

"Great. Dun-Lame doesn't have any sort of plan..." Jo mutters. "I knew I should've stayed at the neighborhood and fight off that person myself if he or she dares to come at me."

"Enough of the sarcasm, I see a clear spot up ahead." Duncan said, pointing ahead of himself.

"It's about time..."

Arriving at this little clear spot of the forest, the spot appears to really have no trees around it. There was a clear path to the right of the road, leading to a small yard that was out into the distance. Duncan rubs his chin, before looking at the two of his friends.

"Alright...we're close." Duncan said, leading the way. "I told you guys we'd end up finding this place. Now all we have to do is go over to that yard, and find a plane that's in there." The three began to walk along the dirt road now.

"I honestly don't think that this is such a smart idea. How do we even know if there's a working plane in that hangar?" Alejandro asked Duncan. The punk attempted to ignore the question by leading the way to the fenced area. "I don't mean to be an ass to you, but I am finding more problems in this idea more than you are." Duncan scoffs, placing his hands in his pockets, still walking and ignoring the question at hand.

"Then...if there's none...then we just better hope that there's a city out here, or close by. Keep in mind, I haven't thought a lot of this shit ahead of time." Duncan continued to walk ahead of the group, more quicker this time.

This was when Jo elbows Alejandro in his arm, getting his attention. "Tell you, he better hope that there's another town close by. Maybe even a gas station, or cabin, or auto-shop, or...whatever. If there isn't, we just leave him here while he's looking around." Jo mutters to him. The Spanish man shook his head.

"Jo, please. There's no need to be hostile towards Duncan...yet..." Alejandro mutters. "Just let him try this plan out a little longer, and we should be able to see if this plan is worth continuing or not."

"More like let's ditch this bastard now, and head back to our own town This idiot is running my patience thin."

"I know, alright. But not now." Jo rolled her eyes once again, continuing to walk.

"This whole ordeal is utter bullshit..."

"Agreed..."

* * *

Meanwhile...

Back in town...

Bridgette was standing outside of her own house, looking at the house across the street. She had wonders what even happened in the house across the street, concerning the police got involved. She knew it didn't concern her whatsoever, but she was still anxious about what has occurred. She couldn't help but be curious about it too.

"Bridgette, dear..." Her mother said from the porch. Bridgette looks behind herself, seeing her mother exiting their house. "...You exited the house without saying a word. Is something wrong?" The surfer girl walked up to her mother, hands in her jacket pockets, sighing to herself.

"Oh...I'm sorry, mom. I just...was thinking about...everything in my life so far..." Bridgette said, eyes still peering over to the house behind herself. "...I don't know about you, but...am I the only one between you and me who thinks something is going on in this town? I mean, we arrive here, and everything just goes...completely insane."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Well..." Bridgette points at Duncan's house across the street. "...That house...I don't know who lives there, but...whoever lives there...the police were at. It seemed pretty serious..."

"Oh that house...I was visiting some of the neighbors around our street, they said that that house is where some person named Duncan lives." Bridgette's mother shook her head, as the two walked over to the porch swing to sit at it. "Some person told me that he went to juvie a lot when he was younger, and that he was a total bully. So...if you're going to make friends around here. I can assure you, don't be friends with that ah..."

Bridgette's mother stopped herself from speaking, not wanting to say a swear word in front of her daughter again. Life's been hard for herself and her daughter still, and the last thing she really needs is for herself to get bothered by the friends that her daughter ended up meeting with. The younger female sighed, patting her mother on the back.

"It's okay, mom. Just go ahead and say it. It's been a hard week for us." Bridgette said.

"I-I know, Bridgette." The surfer girl's mother said. "I think I'm going to take a nap now. I really don't feel well right now." Bridgette nods her head, before leaning on the nearby fence.

"Okay. I'm sorry for what happened in the past between you and dad still."

"Enough apologizing Bridgette. You have nothing to be sorry about." Bridgette's mother pats her daughter on the shoulder. "You enjoy yourself out here. Okay? Come in when you feel like it."

"Okay."

Her mother went inside the house, as Bridgette remained outside. Waiting a couple moments, Bridgette kept her eyes on the house across the street, wondering what was even happening in there. She had no idea what this town even was when she and her mother were moving out of their previous house.

To Bridgette, of course her parents had to divorce while weird activity was happening around THIS town...

She had to make sure that she and her mother were safe here...

Once it felt like a good enough time, Bridgette walks across the road, heading up to Duncan's house to get his side of this whole ordeal. She walks up to his front door, knocking on it, wondering what the hell is going on. After a couple knocks, no answer. She tried again, but this time, trying to shout out Duncan's name. Still nothing. But when Bridgette knocked on the door one more time...

She noticed that it was unlocked...

A bit surprised by this, Bridgette opens the door all the way, looking inside to see if Duncan was around. She closes the door behind herself, before looking around the house some more. There wasn't a single sound around here, which was concerning the surfer girl.

"Duncan, are you home?!" Bridgette shouts, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm the new girl in town! I'm not an intruder! I just want to talk about what's going on around here!"

An eerie silence was all Bridgette got. The surfer girl wondered if anyone was even here, the more she thinks about it. She didn't see the parents car in the driveway as expected, and Duncan's bike wasn't leaning on the side of the porch. But something in her told her not to leave this house yet. She didn't know why her gut was telling her this, but she was too curious to leave.

So Bridgette walked over to every room in the downstairs area to make sure that nobody was here, and she was right, nobody was here. But before she could leave the house, Bridgette couldn't help but wonder what's upstairs in this house.

Picking up the nearby vase, using it to defend herself, Bridgette went up the stairs, and was now in the upstairs hallway. Nobody was in sight, but all the doors in this hallway were open, including the closet door. This unnerved the surfer girl even more, as she slowly walked down the hallway, making sure that this entire place was empty.

She looked inside the bathroom, the parents bedroom, and the pantry, seeing nobody inside of any of these rooms. She then notices Duncan's bedroom, wondering if Duncan was here or not. Slowly, she approaches it with the vase, then looks inside. Then bedroom looked like a wreck, which Bridgette wonders if that's normal, or if somebody messed it up before she came in here.

This is where she notices a note on Duncan's bed...

She walked up to it, wondering what it says. So she approaches the note, picking it up, and reading it to herself...

'_If anyone reads this, I am Duncan. I am the person who lives here. If you're my parents, whatever, nevermind. Anyways, I am heading out of town because some mad man is out around the neighborhood, and he killed Scott and Lightning. We don't know why he or she did all of this, or...whatever...all I know is that me and my remaining friends, Jo and Alejandro are out of town to try to get to that hangar that's out in the forest, in hopes to get a plane from there. If you see a girl named Courtney around here, she has short brown hair, and tan skin, if you see her...tell her I love her. I didn't bring her along so she can be safe. From Duncan._' The note said.

Bridgette stared at the letter for a couple more seconds, before hearing the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway. She immediately knew somebody was in the house now. Even worse, by the sound of the dragging across the floor, Bridgette could only assume that that is a weapon in his or her hands. Bridgette had to hide from whoever this was. So she did.

The surfer girl hidden herself under the bed, keeping herself out of the sight of the person coming into the bedroom. Bridgette was lucky enough to see the person walking into the bedroom, the man with a black hoodie jacket, with the hood over their head, and dark blue jeans. But Bridgette wasn't able to see their face.

The sound of paper crumbling above on the bed was heard. Bridgette didn't remove the paper from the bed, so this killer is going to know exactly where Duncan is. After Bridgette took notice of this, the person was reading the note. A couple seconds later, he just turned around, heading out the door.

The surfer girl heard footsteps going down the stairs, signaling to her that the person was hearing downstairs. So that was giving Bridgette a good enough time to get out from under the bed, and head over to the window to see where the person was going. Looking out the window, Bridgette saw that there was the person walking over to the sidewalk, and heading off somewhere else.

This was when the girl decided to head out of the house. But instead of heading out of the house from the front yard, Bridgette decided to go out of from the backyard instead. She went out the backdoor, ran across the grass, then leaps over the fence, heading to the other yard across the fence.

Too bad when she did that, there was a random family having a barbecue during that time...

Bridgette stood there, looking at the family of seven having lunch at the table outside. This felt completely awkward...

"Okay...so this isn't exactly what it looks like...but I'll just leave..." Bridgette said, heading out the left side of the yard, leaving the family sitting there, staring at her leave.

* * *

Back with Chris and Gwen now...

The two were driving through the forest, trying to find the three bullies who were heading out to the hangar. Gwen kept her eyes out the window, trying to find them, as Chris kept his own on the road ahead. Chris looked around the road ahead, trying to find Duncan, Alejandro, and Jo, but still no sign of them after about a couple miles out here.

Along the way, Chris took notice of the other group that was walking too. The one that Noah was leading into the forest. He raises an eyebrow, before turning on his sirens, alerting them to him and Gwen behind them. All six members of that group jumped at the sound of the sirens blaring behind them, then turned around, noticing the police car that Chris and Gwen were inside. Chris pops his head out the driver window, glaring at the group in front of his car.

"Hey! You mind telling me why you guys are out here too?!" Chris asked with a stern tone of voice.

"We're trying to stop Duncan and his friends from going after this hangar, that's what we're doing!" Cody shouts back.

"It's true! We need you to call the cops, stat!" Owen shouts. Chris then points at Owen.

"Hey, scrawny boy!" Chris shouts, referring to Noah. "What's with human Garfield joining along for this mission?!" Noah raises a finger, unsure what to even say at this point. Chris then turns off his sirens. "Yeah! I thought so! Anyways, look, it's unsafe out here, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to drive all of you back to the town."

"All of us? But there's six of us here!" Emma said, pointing at her own group.

"Yeah. I know. But I'm referring to scrawny boy, you, and other girl...the one who appears more sane the other." Chris said, referring to Noah, Emma, and Kitty. Izzy then spoke, believing that Chris is mentioning her at the end there.

"He called me the more sane one. So...sorry, Kitty." Izzy said.

"I meant Kitty."

"Damn it!"

"What about the rest of us?" Cody asked.

"Yeah...uh...only three people could fit in the back of the car. Not all of you. So...it's a straight line to go back to town. So you three better hope that you can finally get to that town before the sun goes down."

"Well that sucks."

"Life sucks."

Noah cringes for his best friend, before walking over to the back seat of the police car, with Emma and Kitty. Once they were inside the car, Chris starts the car once again, before looking behind himself at the three who have entered his car.

"You're all lucky that we have a bigger problem than you guys walking out here endangering yourselves. We don't know who's going to be killed next, and that concerns me more than you guys walking out here and getting your asses taken down. Now buckle up, we got to go find Duncan and his friends before they get lost out here." Chris said, turning around to face the hangar.

"Okay. Do you know where this hangar even is?" Noah asked.

"I've been there before. A part of me wanted to build a plane myself and see Egypt, then Japan, and then...I believe the Yukon, and then...the list goes on. Which we don't have time for. We got to go and get to those guys before who knows what will happen!"

Noah, Emma, and Kitty buckled their seat-belts. Then Chris sped off, heading off to the hangar in the forest. Cody, Owen, and Izzy were left to be alone in the middle of the forest once again. Cody glared at the police car as it was driving away from them. He threw his hands up in the air, angry.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Cody shouts, before walking towards the direction of the town. Owen and Izzy soon followed along.


	18. Chapter 18

Back at the neighborhood...

Bridgette was back inside her house. She had no idea how to deal with something like this, considering that her and her own mother moved into this town while some psycho is after Duncan and his buddies. Who knows if Duncan and his buddies are the only people that he or she is after in this town? Bridgette certainly doesn't know, she's never been in a situation like this before.

Inside her house, she kept every single lock on the door locked, including the back door. She made sure that there was no windows open, nor any other way to get inside the house. She huddled herself near her bathroom door, trying to calm her own nerves. She really needed to calm down after what she experienced back there.

Trying to keep herself calm, she then heard her phone going off in her bedroom. She stood up from the ground, after feeling like she could handle talking to whoever was calling her on her phone. She went into her room, heading over to her desk, checking the name that was on her phone, making sure that it was a safe person to call.

Unfortunately for her, it was her father...

Bridgette glared at the word 'Dad' on her phone, not wanting to talk to her dad. Not after what he's done to her mother. Of all people to call, she knew her father was safe, but considering how things went when the two divorced, Bridgette couldn't bring herself to talk to her own father. She allowed her phone to continue ringing, until it stops.

The surfer girl looks down, eyes closed, face clearly frustrated with him. Shaking her head, she heard her phone ringing again. Believing that it was her father again, Bridgette was prepared to answer it to call him out for all that he did. But she saw the name before she could call him. It said 'Geoff' on it instead. She sighed, before answering the call.

"Hey babe." Geoff's voice said on the other line.

"Oh, hey sweetie...I'm glad to hear your voice..." Bridgette said. "I've been wanting to be comforted right now..."

"I know, I know, having to hear your parents divorce like that is nuts, man. But I'm sure that you and your mom will be on your feet again."

"Thanks Geoff. I'm glad I am dating a guy like you." Bridgette then looks out her window, rather concerned still. "Hey...about...Duncan...are you friends with him? Because he lives across from my house."

"Oh, Duncan? That guy with the green mohawk? He has some issues with his own life, here and there. He's a bit of a total prick, just to make that clear." Bridgette cringed, before laying down on her bed. "Why do you ask?"

"Well...Geoff, I fear that somebody is trying to kill him. I mean...from what I was hearing...two people in this town, their...dead..."

"Bridgette, look, calm down. I heard of this news too."

"How do you know?"

"Because people around this neighborhood are talking about it, how else?! But nobody's going to hurt you. If anyone dare comes after you, I will make sure that they regret doing something in the first place."

Bridgette smiled, feeling a bit encouraged by her boyfriend's words. Her anxiety was going down when she was hearing his words of comforts, as she knew that her boyfriend is probably the first person she'd talk to in order to calm down. She was a lot more calmer right now, but was still worried about this psycho being around the neighborhood.

"Hey, do you want me to come over?" Geoff asked his girlfriend. "I don't know if your mother is wanting anyone at your house at the moment, but if you want, I can come over." Bridgette stood up from her bed, and headed downstairs.

"Of course you can, Geoff. I...really need somebody to be next to." Bridgette said.

"Then I'll be right over, Bridgette. Don't go anywhere."

"You know I won't..." After the phone call, Bridgette went outside and waited for her boyfriend to get to her house.

A couple seconds later, he arrived...

Geoff is somebody with slightly long hair in a brown cowboy hat. He had no shirt underneath his pink jacket, and baggy shorts. He was your typical party guy, nothing really too special, aside from what party he has at his house. After a trip to Bridgette's hometown, he and her ended up meeting at a book store, and then they started to talk, then just like that, they were together. He moved back to this town a week later, but they remained talking over the phone, or using their computers to talk.

Regardless, Bridgette was happy that her boyfriend was near her again. She really needed somebody to talk to after all that she had to encounter back in Duncan's house. Geoff approaches the porch swing, where Bridgette was sitting at, and sat next to her.

"Babe, I'm here. What happened? What do you want to talk to me about?" Geoff asked her.

"Well...I haven't told you the whole truth on the phone, Geoff...I need to be one hundred percent honest with you." Bridgette said to him. Geoff stayed silent allowing Bridgette to continue to speak. "I actually felt like something was wrong in this town, because...before I went off to get that job that I was to get a couple of days ago...I saw police cars at Duncan's house. I don't know why, but I went to see if Duncan was okay. But then...I went into the house, while nobody was inside of it. The only thing I did was tried to find Duncan, mainly to talk to him about my worries about me and my mom living in this town." Bridgette gulps. "I found a note that says that Duncan's left town, and then...I heard footsteps, and..." Bridgette started to tear up, voice breaking as if she's about to cry. "...I hidden myself under the bed, as a person with...a black jacket and jeans showed up...I wasn't seen...but he...it was like he or she was...looking for Duncan...I was almost caught..." Geoff holds Bridgette closer to him, embracing her in a hug.

"Bridge, everything will be alright. I won't let anyone like him anywhere close to you." Geoff said, patting her on her back. "If someone like that ever lays a hand on you, I'm going to make sure that their ass, male of female, is on the ground, and not you." Bridgette wipes tears from her eyes, still trying to keep herself together.

"Thanks Geoff...I'm glad that you're my boyfriend..."

"I'd do anything for you, sweetie. Just know that." Geoff kept Bridgette in his hug, as she was looking out to the streets. She was worried to see that figure again. She felt like she might one day.

* * *

Back at the hangar...

Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro were finally there at the yard. There was a couple boxes, a garage, a shed, and a windmill in one corner. Duncan climbed over the metal fence that surrounded the entire hangar, hopping onto the other side of the fence. Jo and Alejandro soon did the same thing. Once they were on the other side, the punk started talking.

"Okay...we're in." Duncan said, rubbing his hands together. "Now let's get that plane, shall we?" Alejandro looked around the small yard that they were in, feeling a little uncertain about all of this right now.

"No offence Duncan, but with the uncertainty that this...person who's...after us, most likely following us out here. Shouldn't we be checking around this place before we find this plane?" Alejandro asked. Duncan scoffs at his worries.

"Oh please...you can't seriously be thinking that THAT guy followed us all the way out here, now don't you?"

"It's possible."

"Give up already. You're acting like there's actually going to be some sort of problem when we actually get this plane." Before the man could say anything more, Duncan held up his hand, shaking his head, uninterested in what other defense was said next. "Forget about whatever you're going to say next, right now, we got to get out of here." Duncan points to the direction of where the garage is located at. "And it doesn't take a genius to know where this plane is located. Come on guys."

The troublesome punk headed to the garage, as Jo and Alejandro followed along. The boy with the green mohawk grabs a hold of the door that was on the side of the garage, noticing that it was locked. He tried kicking the door open, but no results. He tried once more, only this time, still nothing.

"Damn it...hey, can you guys find a crowbar or something? I think I need to pry this door open." Duncan said, waving a hand behind himself.

"It's probably in the shed." Jo suggested.

"O-Okay. Go check there, I'm still going to check if this door could be unlocked in any sort of way by hand."

Jo headed over to the shed, going inside it. Looking around, there doesn't really appear to be anything that would probably be able to get through the door. However, the sporty girl continued to look around the shed, until she was able to find a crowbar that was leaning on the lawnmower that was in the corner of the shed. Jo took the crowbar from the lawnmower, then headed over to the door that Duncan and Alejandro.

Jo approaches Duncan, then handed the crowbar over to the punk. Once Duncan was given the crowbar, she places it into the side of the door. The boy kicks the crowbar, having the door opened, immediately.

Now that the door was open, Duncan walked into the garage, turning on the lights that was inside. Inside the garage, only to see that the garage was completely empty. Duncan notices a note that was on the counter nearby. The punk looked at the paper, seeing that it was a note, saying that it was from the owner, saying that he was using the plane and won't be back in town for about an entire month.

"God damn it!" Duncan shouts, throwing the paper onto the ground.

"So there's no plane in here? Alejandro told you that you should've turned around and made sure Chris took care of all of this." Jo said. "Hope you're happy that you've walked us out here, Dumbass Duncan." The punk flips the girl off, before looking at the note again. "Can you believe this, Al?" Alejandro didn't respond to the sporty girl's words, noticing something out in the distance. "Uh, what's going on?"

The three of them looked out to the direction of the gate, seeing headlights that were out in the distance. The sound of police sirens that were on was getting closer and closer to the hangar yard. Then the police car slams right through the gates, breaking into the yard. Then Chris, Gwen, Noah, Emma, and Kitty came out of the car.

"Oh shit...now we're in trouble..." Duncan said, softly.

"No shit you are." Chris said, crossing his arms, glaring at the three troublemakers that were here. "You mind telling me why you think that a plan like THIS would've helped you in this situation? Take some sort of plane, and then head out of this forest? If you took a bus out of here, fine. But endangering yourselves to get to this hangar? Don't you know that you shouldn't be out here anyway?!" Gwen spoke up.

"Well, you did leave Owen, Cody, and Izzy out in the forest by themselves." Gwen said.

"Don't get smart with me. We're lucky that both of us noticed that it was a straight road that we took to get to this hangar. No turns were needed whatsoever." Detective McLean turns his head back to the three that were in front of him. "Anyways, there's not enough room to bring all of you back to town in the police car. But...along the way here...I called the police station, and...called another police car to come down here. Hopefully, MacArthur can get here." Chris looks down at his watch, before looking at the direction he and the others came from. "And here she is now."

The new police car came to the hangar. MacArthur parks in front of the gate of the hangar, where in the front seat of the car, where Izzy pokes her head out from the front seat, waving her arm out the window, much to Gwen's dismay.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Gwen mutters.

"Oh, by the way, Owen and Cody are back in town! I asked to drive out here so that I can see Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro be arrested for them all being out here." Izzy said. "Now let's lock these suckers up, MacArthur!" Izzy places a police cap on her own head, before leaving the police car. "E-Scope at your service!"

"Good thing them." Chris said, holding out a hand. "You can take these three to the police station."

"Agreed." MacArthur said, placing cuffs on the three that have came to the hangar, placing them into the back of the police car one by one.

"Knew we should've gone back..." Alejandro mutters to Duncan.

"Shut up..." Duncan mutters, not wanting to hear more of this. "Just take us away, officer."

"That's Officer MacArthur for you, green hair!" The police woman shouts, pointing at him. "If Chris McLean presses charges, oh boy will you three be sorry you've ever came into the forest." MacArthur starts the car, then looks out the window, looking at Chris. "What about the rest of the people that you got there? Scrawny boy, and those two girls he was with out here in the forest?" Chris glared at Noah, Emma, and Kitty, before closing his eyes and sighing to himself. Reluctantly, he looks at the police woman speaking on.

"I got word from Noah that he and his buddies were out here trying to stop Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro here. So I'm not going to hold anything they did against them." Chris said to the police woman. "However, I am going to question those three, big time that Izzy is with." Duncan gulps, as the police car headed off. Chris then faces the four people he was with. "Well...I won't throw them in jail, considering that whoever that psycho is who killed Scott and Lightning is still our main target of tracking down. But that really doesn't excuse what Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro did. The closest thing that they will receive is a house arrest, and that's it. For now, we should get you guys home now."

"Good idea." Noah said, nodding his head, as the others got back into the car with him.


	19. Chapter 19

The crew went back to town safely. Some went home, while most were stuck at the police station. Gwen, Noah, Emma, and Kitty were out in the waiting room, as Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro were in Chris's office, being questioned about their actions. Gwen was pacing the waiting room, as the rest were sitting in the chairs by the wall.

Inside the office of the head detective, Chris was standing in front of his desk, looking at a paper. Duncan, and his two other friends were sitting in the three chairs that were in front of the desk. It was after a few moments of utter silence, until Chris finally spoke.

"Do you guys have any idea how painful it was to go all the way out there, just to fish your sorry asses out of that forest?" Chris asked, voice stern and angry. "Do you have any idea how your parents must feel knowing that you guys endangered yourself, as well as others."

"My parents hate me." Duncan said, bluntly with his feet kicked up onto the desk.

"I don't care. I'm still bringing you back to your houses, and placing the three of you under house arrest." Chris then sat back down at the desk, pushing himself in. "From my knowledge, at the very least, doesn't really know where your houses are. With the very exception of Duncan's house. If you guys stayed at your own houses instead of leaving them, maybe nobody will be attacked, and our mission to find this guy will be a lot more easier." Jo scoffs.

"You're kidding, right?" The girl asked. "What if this bastard isn't only after us?! If more townspeople around here got their asses killed, then we're not the only targets. If you have some sort of proof of this being the case, I'd be happy enough to see it."

"We're trying our best here. Cut us some slack already."

"But what about me now? This psycho knows my house, considering I got that package with Lightning's head inside it. So what am I going to do? I am totally unsafe?" Chris looks down, worried about that.

"I'll allow him to stay at my house."

The four looked over to the door, seeing Noah standing by the entry of the office room. This idea was suicide, on all ends, and Noah was deciding to go and endanger himself by bringing Duncan into his own house? Is he mad? That's what the four in the office were thinking when Noah came in with this idea. Chris refused this kind of idea to happen, he just couldn't allow somebody else to be endangered.

"No...hell no, you can't just barge into my office, and say that you'll bring Duncan into your house. Don't you know that whoever is out there, killing his friends, you'll be killed too?!" Chris asked with a stern voice.

"I know what I'm doing, McLean. I am not friends with him, but even if he is a total prick, I'm not going to sit here and let him suffer like this." Noah said.

"And how do we know that YOU'RE not the person after all of us?" Alejandro asked, glaring at the shorter boy.

Noah closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath. He knew that this part of the truth was coming out someday. He knew it. Cody knew it. Emma and Kitty knew it. It was inevitable it was going to be revealed one day. So, now seems like a good enough time than ever.

The boy spoke aloud. "During the night that Scott died, I saw the whole thing unfold in front of my very eyes." He explains to them. "I heard a scream outside in the neighborhood, and I hidden myself in the playground near the spot Scott was attacked. I was..." The boy took a pause for a bit, before managing the courage to continue. "...I was too scared to help him in this situation. I watched some person with the crowbar take swings at him, until...he was dragged off. That's all I saw that night. I promise you that."

The three at the chairs were sitting there, stunned at what they were just hearing. Chris was at a lost for words too. He had no idea how to respond to Noah experiencing something like this. He didn't know if he should be pissed off, disappointed, anything idea of a feeling, he had no clue.

However, that's not stopping the others from being angry at this...

"You let him die?!" Jo asked, snapping at Noah.

"I didn't mean to do that. I was too scared to go and save him, but I never meant for him..." Noah was interrupted by Duncan before he could end that sentence. Duncan walked up to Noah, grabbing him by the collar, and glaring into his eyes.

"Oh don't pull that fucking crap on me and my friends, asshole! You were the one who allowed Scott to die! You are a damn coward, and if things were my way, your sorry ass would be kicked by me!" Duncan screams, holding Noah against the wall. "Anything you like to say, you worthless piece of shit?!" Noah glared back at him, not giving into Duncan's threats.

"Back off, Duncan. I've said sorry enough..."

"Your apologies are not going to do shit while some psycho is on the round to come have me and my friends dead!"

"I GET IT, ALRIGHT!?" Noah snaps at him, screaming.

"ENOUGH!" Chris shouts.

Duncan and Noah stopped screaming at each other. The punk drops Noah to the ground, as he went back to the chair he sat at before. Noah stood back up from the ground, brushing himself off, as he walked by the side of the desk.

"This situation is bad enough. Can we save beating the scrawny boy until after this guy is taken care of?" Chris asked the four of them.

"Yeah, good idea. Beat the scrawny boy after..." Noah stopped himself, noticing what Chris said. "What the, hey!"

"Well, you don't look like you go to gym, dude. Just saying." Chris looks at the three of the bullies ahead of his desk, as Noah crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "Either way, Noah helping Scott or not, the plan hasn't changed. You guys are still going to remain in your houses until then. Me and the rest of the police have this shit under control. And if one of you three attempt to do something like THAT again, I'm afraid that you three will be behind bars. Are we clear?"

The three looked at each other, nodding in agreement, before turning their heads towards Chris. All three of them nodded their heads at him, ultimately agreeing with the Head Detective.

"Good. Glad to know you guys are going to cooperate with this idea." Chris said. "I'll come by each of your houses tonight. Just make sure you guys can protect yourself, alright?"

"We'll make sure of it." Alejandro said, before standing up from his chair. "Can we go now? I believe that we had enough of this talk now."

"Alright." Duncan mutters. Duncan then glared at Noah, not saying a word, before standing up himself. The punk stood up from his chair, then looked at Chris. "Can I try to get a few things from my house before I go to Noah's house, Chris?"

"Of course. Also, while me and the cops are looking around town for the next few days...make sure you don't end up attacking Noah because he allowed Scott to die. It's bad enough we need one of you guys to turn on one another, and have another person to deal with." Chris said, before looking at Noah again. "I believe we're done here. I'm sure MacArthur will drive all three of you to your houses now that we're done."

* * *

For Noah, that could've gone a lot better than he hoped for...

Then again, what would've he expected from telling Duncan that he was there when Scott got killed? Nothing much, that's all he knew. Now Duncan blames him for what happened to Scott, which is just the icing on a cake in this whole situation.

So Noah was walking with Kitty, Emma, and Gwen behind them. He was mostly just heading to his own house, not wanting to think about this mystery until tonight. He felt like he's been focused on this mystery for awhile, that it's now starting to affect his own personal life. But is it worth putting a majority of the town in danger, because a bully blames him for a friend's death? He didn't fully give up on this whole ordeal, thankfully enough.

"So...what's the plan from here?" Kitty asked. "We just left without a word."

"I know...but I just need to be by myself, alright? I...with Duncan coming to my house to be protected by me...I feel like...I just need some time to rethink my thoughts right now." Noah said. "I'm...sorry if it sounds like I'm turning my back on the town, but I'm not. Things have...gotten...real bad for me, after that talk in the office."

"Is this because of that package with Lightning's head?" Gwen asked. "Chris told me all about that, and he said that that pretty confirms that this culprit knows where Duncan lives."

"Yeah. Now Duncan's going to be staying at my house until...this guy is taken care of..."

"Damn, that can't be good."

"It's not Gwen, it's not. But I only asked to try to be nice, but then...I indirectly revealed that...I saw Scott get attacked..."

Gwen's eyes widened at what she just heard Noah just say there. "You saw him die?"

"No...just attacked, and...before you go blaming me like Duncan and his friends are doing, I know I had blood on my hands. But...I never been in that situation before, I couldn't help but be sitting there, and...just..." Noah threw his hands in the air, clearly frustrated. "...I just had no idea what to do! And...I'm sorry..." Gwen took a sigh, before crossing her own arms.

"Well...I'm not mad, I'm more...disappointed...But truthfully, if I was in your shoes...I wouldn't know what to do either."

"Thank you Gwen..."

"Anyways...I'll try to find more of those papers that whoever that is might be placing around the neighborhood. That, or maybe one of his or her items that he might drop along the way around town."

"Gwen, since you haven't been there for the conversation, I think it's best that you let Detective McLean handle this situation along with the cops. It's too dangerous to go investigating at night."

"With you needing to rest, I feel like I should take over until then." Gwen pats the man on his shoulder, before nodding her head. "Now go get some rest. I know what I'm doing, and I know exactly how to defend myself."

Emma looked at Gwen, then to Noah. "Hey, Noah...I hope you don't mind me tagging along with you on the way to your house. It's just that...I really need to talk about the conversation that we had through the forest?" Emma said to him. "Is...that alright with you?" Noah blinked a couple times.

"Of course, Emma." Noah said, before the two ended up walking off.

"Okay. Guess I'll meet you back at our house then!" Kitty shouts. "Stubborn Emma...doesn't even tell me where the bus stop is before she walks off with some guy she ended up falling in love with."

Kitty walks off, as Gwen shook her head, walking off as well. Unknown to the four that were talking, Bridgette was actually about to turn the corner of the street she was on, overhearing the entire conversation. To her, it doesn't seem like she was the only person who was involved in this situation either.

Gwen walked pass her, not even acknowledging her there. Which is what she was expecting. Bridgette decided to go and follow Gwen to her house so that she can have a conversation with her about her involvement in this whole ordeal as well.

* * *

**Note: My apologies if this chapter came out later than expected. I am also working on another fanfic while working on this one as well. Not only that, but with Christmas, I was away from my computer for a majority of the last few days. But, don't worry, I'm still continuing this fic still.**

**Either way, hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year as well. **


	20. Chapter 20

With Gwen...

She went back to her own house so that she can try to figure some things out. As her mother and brother were away in the city of Ottawa for a month, she had to make sure that this guy is taken care of before they get back to Leafston. With her family on her mind, Gwen had to figure out who this is before they came back to town.

Pacing her living room, the goth was still trying to put together who this person is. Whoever it is, she knows for a fact is out to get Duncan mostly. Considering that Duncan bullies everyone, it doesn't really surprise her one bit that it could be anyone in this town. It could be Cody, it could be Noah, it could be Owen, Izzy, Trent, anyone literately.

With all of those thoughts in mind, Gwen is starting to wonder who she should and shouldn't trust in this town...

While she was in a deep thought, Gwen heard the sound of her door being knocked on. She has no idea what kind of person was behind the door, and she didn't trust it one bit. Gwen picks up a baseball bat that was leaning on her couch, and headed for the door to make sure that she wasn't in any sort of danger.

Gwen leans on the door, keeping her bat close to her. She looks through the window on the top of the door, before realizing that some girl was outside. The girl outside was, in fact, Bridgette. Gwen had no idea who she was, so she decided to answer the door, wondering if she was anyone worth trusting or not. She opens the door, as Bridgette was waiting patiently for the goth to answer.

"May I help you?" Gwen asked the surfer girl outside.

"Uh...hi, I'm actually new in town, and...I wanted to see if you were busy or not." Bridgette said, waving a hand at her. "I kind of overheard the conversation that you had with those three people that you were with." Gwen raises an eyebrow, wondering if it's the same conversation that happened this afternoon.

"Was on of the boys wearing a red vest?" She asked, causing Bridgette to nod her head. "Okay...and were the other two sisters wearing red?"

"They were sisters? I didn't know that."

"Look, I don't like being rude, but considering what has been happening in the town recently, I'm afraid that I should be hanging out with other people later. Right now, I have two people that I have to protect before they get back from Ottawa. So may you please leave?"

"But...concerning your mystery...I need to confess something to you..."

"What is it? What do you know about what's been happening around town?"

Bridgette looks behind herself, before walking into the house. Gwen was confused still, raising an eyebrow as Bridgette walked into her house. But she didn't question this, as she didn't want to accuse Bridgette of anything, not yet. Gwen closes the door, as she followed Bridgette into her living room.

It was when the surfer girl approaches Gwen's couch that the conversation actually began. Bridgette spoke to the goth, keeping her back turned from her as she did so.

"Okay...to get this out of the way, my name is Bridgette. I've moved here recently, and...damn it, I feel like I tell my personal life to everyone I meet, when I really don't want to talk about it and move on. But..." The surfer girl stopped talking, before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "Anyways...what I'm trying to say is that I've moved in this town recently, and I got myself a job around here, and...it feels like things are about to be pretty fine for me and my mother. But then...I'm afraid that I've gotten myself involved in this little mystery, by accident." Gwen crosses her arms, wondering where this was going still.

"Okay. How'd you get involved?" Gwen asked her.

"I told Geoff already, and he and I are worried if our days are numbered or not. You see...I went into Duncan's house wanting to talk to him about my concerns about me and my mom being in this town. Looking around the house, I was upstairs when...some mysterious person in a jacket with the hood over his or her head came into the room. I was under the bed when entered and found the note on the bed that said that Duncan and his friends were heading off to a garage with a plane inside of it. All he did was look at the note and then...walked away...to where, I don't know, but it definitely looked like he was looking for Duncan this morning." Gwen nods her head.

"I know that. But...why would you put yourself in that kind of danger to begin with?"

"I needed to know if my mom and I are safe in this town. We didn't decide this town, knowing that there's some psychopath roaming around, on the hunt for some of the people here, acting like it's some horror movie."

"Alright. You calm down. When it comes to all of this, I'll be the one to take care of this bastard before he gets to Duncan or any of his friends." Gwen picks up the baseball bat again, nodding her head as she stared at it. "I've seen enough horror movies to know how to survive a situation like this. From Friday the 13th, to Halloween, to Anaconda, to Dawn of the Dead. I think that I can handle this guy." Bridgette didn't really seem to fond of this idea.

"But...wouldn't YOU get killed attempting to do this?"

"I have family I have to protect to in this town. If I end up dying, then it'll be for them, as well as Trent." Bridgette raises an eyebrow, wondering who that guy she mentioned was. "Trent is my boyfriend by the way." Gwen picks up a backpack off of the coffee table, then places it onto herself. "I believe it's finally time that this asshole is buried six feet under." Bridgette still seemed worried about all of this that Gwen's putting herself through. "Just stay with your mother and don't worry about me. I'm sure I'll be fine out there."

"If you say so." Bridgette walks pass the goth, before walking off to her own house. '_I sure hope she'll be alright out there tonight..._' Bridgette said in her thoughts, as she was walking away from the goth's house.

* * *

Back with Noah and Emma, the two were sitting on the couch, trying to process all that has happened back at the police station. Noah hated the idea that he ended up trying to be nice, only ended up biting him in the ass. Now all three remaining bullies want his head on a platter, and Chris probably doesn't trust him one single bit after he brought up that he was there when Scott got attacked and he did nothing.

Thankfully for Noah, the people who he was friends with couldn't really blame him for not attempting to fight back. Owen was one hundred percent on his side, even if Noah wasn't wanting anything to do with him. So that was good, at least.

"So...tonight is going to be a living hell." Noah said, shaking his head in disgust. "God only knows how things are going to play out when he finally sleeps at my house for a couple days. Too bad he hates my guts now that I've told him the truth."

"Truthfully, we all got blood on our hands, the more I think about it." Emma said, crossing her arms. "I'm not blaming you for what happened, but if they are saying that you're the reason that this is happening, then...me, and Jo are also responsible for Lightning's death, since...we were there during his death, and we just aloud it to happen. If that makes any sort of sense." Noah nods his head silently.

"You know, for one single mistake, there's no need to take all the blame for it. I was there too." Noah looks down to the floor, shaking his head. "I don't get this weirdo who's going around, going after these guys. I hate Duncan and his friends more than the next guy, as well as a majority of every other student in this town. But...who would do something like this, really? I don't get it." Noah then looks over to Emma. "Did you hear anyone else, outside of those bullies is dead?" Emma shook her head.

"I don't think anyone is dead, aside from Scott and Lightning. And it's already day three or four when all of this has happened." Emma stood up from the couch, before looking over to her new boyfriend again. "Is there anyone from the college that we haven't thought about yet? Ones who hate Duncan with a passion, aside from you and Cody?"

Noah sat there, thinking to himself, trying to figure out who else hated the bullies. He and Cody were obvious. Then there's people like Harold, Cameron, Sam, and Ellody who they went after as well. Then he remembers that there was a guy named Mike who seemed suspicious, but doesn't think he's really a bad person by the looks of him. But then again, who's even trustworthy in this town anymore? Noah had no idea.

The guy stood up from the couch, before remembering that he had a picture of some of his other students in his desk. The boy went over to his TV stand, pulling out a small bag that he had when he went to college a couple years ago, looking inside to see the photos were still in there. He walked over to the coffee table, kneeling down beside it.

Looking through the photos, he found one photo of Harold. Somebody with orange hair with glasses and a dark blue t-shirt with a hamburger on it. He always hated Duncan, because...for obvious reasons, Harold is a major nerd. Not that that's a bad thing though. But could he really do something so vile? Noah had to find somebody else.

Then he found a picture of him and Cameron at a table outside of their college playing chess. Cameron was shorter than Noah, wearing glasses, had dark skin, as well as a red sweat-shirt. Since Cameron really has a fascination for machinery, it could explain why the metal rod that killed Lightning came out of nowhere at a fast rate. But by the looks of the person at the playground, it seemed pretty taller than Cameron. So he's pretty much off the hook, for now anyway.

Still looking through a couple more photos of his friends, Noah found only a lot of people that would be the most likely picked. All that he mentioned, from Harold to Ellody, was really all he could find that were people that those bullies went after the most. Nobody that could do something so malicious.

But that's when he discovers a photo that had a person that he met while he was looking for clues. He completely forgotten that this girl and her boyfriend was also involved in those bullies lives too. He hasn't spoke to them in awhile, so he had to see where they lived, or hope that he stumbles upon the two once again. He stood up from the floor, looking at the photo that was in his hands, before turning his head towards his new girlfriend.

"What did you discover, Noah?" Emma asked him.

"I believe that I have a person to meet tomorrow." Noah said. "Hopefully, they are willing to talk to me about what has happened." Noah places the photo into his vest pocket.


	21. Chapter 21

Later that night...

Gwen stared outside her house, looking at a bunch of police cars out there. She had a curtain open, as she was staring at two police officers that were talking by the sidewalk of her house, most likely to where that psychopath is in this town. Gwen was all ready to go out to try to find this guy already.

The goth was wearing a black cape-looking trench-coat with a dark gray shirt and black jeans underneath. She went over to her backpack that had a baseball bat inside, which included a crossbow that Gwen borrowed from a from named Shawn, who was using that until the zombie apocalypse ends up happening. He heard about what was happening, and was happily able to give Gwen the crossbow. Now that Gwen was all ready to go out, she went out the back door to go and find this person so that she can finally take care of him or her for good.

Gwen walked over to her fence, and then jumps over it so that she can go out into the neighborhood. She pulled out the crossbow from her backpack, ready to make sure that she doesn't end up getting killed by whoever is out here. Gwen's glare kept looking around the entire place, trying to find where this person is going to be, and when they are going to attack. So far, she seemed to be safe. She was going to have to avoid the cops around here as well, since she wanted to finally get rid of this guy for her neighborhood.

Walking through the lonely streets of one of her neighborhood, she looked up at the street lights, noticing that one of them was flickering. She kept her crossbow ready, in case this person was ready to attack. The sound of the wind rustling was heard behind her. So she turns around, holding up the crossbow as she quickly turns around, ready to fight back.

"Who goes there?!" Gwen shouts, keeping the crossbow forward.

"I-It's just me!" A female voice said, walking over to her. It was Bridgette. She was wearing a trench-coat, over her usual wear, due to the fact that it's cold tonight. Gwen sighed in relief, before shaking her head in annoyance.

"What do you want, Bridgette? If you haven't noticed. I'm trying to find this person on my own, and I'm making sure that I kick his or her ass so that this neighborhood can finally be safe."

"So...it's too late to change your mind on this? I don't want you to die because of a couple bullies around here." Gwen pats the crossbow that she was carrying before placing it back into her backpack.

"Well don't worry about me. We've just met, so that doesn't mean we're friends. All I can say to you is to just go back home, and make sure that you get some sleep." Gwen looks over to the house that was right nearby. "I guess your house is somewhere around here or something?" Bridgette points to the house to their right, while nodding her head.

"That's my house. I just came out of it when I noticed you were out here." Bridgette walks over to the gate that was leading into her house. "Are you sure that it's too late to try to change your mind?" Gwen nods her head, pulling out her baseball bat.

"My mother and little brother are out of town, and I'm making sure that this asshole is taken care of before they get back." Gwen said, twirling the bat in her hands. "I'm not backing down knowing that things might get worse if we sit back and do nothing." Bridgette looks down, crossing her arms and shaking her head, all the while, Gwen was walking away from her.

"This whole thing feels like suicide..."

Gwen continued to walk through the dark neighborhood, until she finally arrived at the town area. She found one way out of the entire civilization area, which had an abandoned gas station that was next to the forest. She could heard the crickets and owls hooting out in the distance as she was approaching the gas station building.

Kneeling down next to the side of the door, Gwen kept her crossbow ready, in case this person was in here. This gas station hasn't been entered in years, so this could be where he or she is hiding inside. The goth girl picks up a rock, tossing it through one of the broken windows, before leaning on the wall again, remaining hidden from sight.

* * *

Seeing that the cost was clear, Gwen entered the building, looking around the place. Some of the shelves around the place hasn't really been touched in days, which really shows, due to the dust on most of the items around here, including the counter and open doors. Gwen investigated the entire area, a bit more closer.

She looks behind the counter to make sure that nobody was ready to jump out and attack her. Thankfully, nobody was. Gwen continued to look around the entire gas station, checking behind the many shelves, and checked inside the hallway that was leading to the bathrooms. Seeing that out here was safe, Gwen went to check the two bathrooms that were around here. She looked inside the girls bathroom, seeing a note that was on the mirror. She walked over to the note, taking it off and reading the note to herself.

'_To anyone who reads this, please make sure that the storage closet is cleaned out. If you're nothing more but a customer, please enjoy this note. You don't need to go into the closet and take whatever you want._' The note said.

It must be from the manager of whoever worked here before, so this note must've been here to place Gwen off-guard. If that's the case, than Gwen is thanking God that this doesn't mean she's trapped in this small little bathroom. However, while she was standing there in the bathroom, she ended up hearing something that proves that the person is close.

Outside of the bathroom, Gwen heard the sound of music softly playing outside of the bathroom. It sounded like '_Come and Get your Love_' by Redbone. She kept her crossbow ready, wondering what this kind of trick is right now, because she doesn't trust this one bit.

Walking out of the bathroom, Gwen points the crossbow towards the direction of the counter, seeing that there was a radio that was on top of it. The radio appeared to be some sort of small radio that they would use back in the past rather than today. Seems suspicious to her, but she went closer to it, wondering what it's all about.

Upon approaching it, Gwen picks up the small radio, looking around it, before turning it off. But then she found a note that was actually hidden underneath the radio, on the counter. She picks up the note, reading to herself as she stood next to the counter.

'_Guess you found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, Jo. So sorry it had to come to this._' The note said.

Gwen had no idea what this note was even talking about, before the sound of a shelf knocking over was heard. Gwen quickly turns around, noticing that the figure jumped out from behind the ice cream freezer that was by the entrance of the interior of the gas station. The goth moved quickly, throwing herself over the counter, avoiding his attack.

The figure had a baseball bat in his hand as well. He dashed over to the counter, looking over it, seeing that Gwen was missing. But before he could look around, Gwen uses her bat to whack the figure's leg, making him drop his bat onto the ground. Gwen stood from the ground, and then pulled out her crossbow. But that didn't stop the man from kicking it out of her hands. But then Gwen pulled out her own baseball bat, glaring at the figure who was still facing away from the goth girl.

"Show me your face already, asshole..." Gwen growled, keeping her baseball bat in her grip as she kept her glare on him.

The figure turns around slowly. Inside his hoodie, there was a black mask on the person's face, making it hard to see the who this person even was. The figure stopped balling their fists, noticing Gwen behind themselves, before Gwen slowly moved herself towards the crossbow.

"Clever...clever you..." Gwen said, shaking her head, as she was heading for her crossbow. "...If you're not going to show yourself simply...I guess I'll have to..."

While Gwen was talking to him, the figure began to dart for the door. The goth grabbed a hold of the crossbow, then aimed it at the figure...

...Only to see that he escaped before she had a chance to stop him...

Gwen lowered her weapon, shocked to see that he got away. The goth quickly ran out of the gas station, looking around, making sure that this figure didn't get too far from her. The goth aimed her crossbow towards the direction that figure was running, then fired an arrow at the person as he was attempting to escape. Sadly, the arrow missed, hitting the sidewalk instead.

"Damn it!" Gwen shouts, before placing the crossbow back into her backpack.

She ran after him, then pulled out her phone as she was running straight to the figure, hoping to catch up to him. She needed a little bit more help to try to get to this guy before they attempt to get away from her. She kept running as he placed the phone next to her ear as she was still running at a full speed.

"Hello? What's going on, Gwen?" Cody asked the goth. "Finally got around to dumping that Trent guy?"

"Shut up, Cody! I'm not calling you for THAT! What I'm calling you for is to try to help me out here!" Gwen shouts, running down the sidewalk. "I think we're close by! I think! I came face to face with this figure!"

"WHAT?!"

"I went after him for the protection of our neighborhood! Look, it's a long story, alright?! Can you try to help me out with trying to take this guy down?!"

"Alright! I'll try to! Look, where are you right now?!"

Looking up at the street sign that she was running pass, Gwen noticed what street she was on. "We're on Maple Avenue, are you near that street right now?!"

"Yeah. I live on that block." Cody was silent on the other line, until the sound of running was heard. "Holy shit! I see the guy running towards my location right now. What do I do?!"

"Just try to hold him off! Pick up something right now before he gets away!"

"Okay! I'll try!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

With Cody...

The boy was outside of his own house, trying to find something so that he can attack the figure with before he gets away. There was literately nothing around his front yard that he could use to attack the man with, so guess Cody's going to have to try to stop the guy himself. It's a very stupid idea, but it's worth a shot.

Looking over to the direction of the figure, Cody ran towards the person, jumping onto him before he could get away from him. The figure struggled with Cody trying to grab and keep him from running away, before the figure ended up pulling out the crowbar out of their boot. The figure whacks the crowbar onto Cody's side, making him fall of them, causing the figure to become free and run off. Cody falls onto the ground, holding his side, which was actually bleeding.

"Oh crap! Cody, are you alright?!" Gwen asked, running towards Cody, before kneeling by the boy's side. Cody points ahead of himself.

"H-He's getting away..." Cody said, feeling pain.

Gwen aimed the crossbow at the figure again, shooting an arrow into their leg. But that didn't stop the person was continuing to run. This sight actually made Gwen nearly snap in annoyance.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Gwen shouts, dropping her weapon to her side. She then looks over to the boy who was still feeling pain in his stomach. "Ah crap...Cody, we got to get you inside, like, right now." Gwen helps the man onto his feet, trying to get him into his own house.

"I've...I've been through worse than this...honest..." Cody said, as the two were heading to his own house. "T-Thank you..."

"Your welcome. Don't worry, I brought a first-aid kit in case this guy attempted to attack me...so you're lucky I brought something along with me while I was out here." Cody nods his head, smiling rather weakly. He cringed, feeling more pain in his side.

"Awesome...ah...okay, this feels worse than some of the things I've went through in the past...let's try to get inside already..."


	22. Chapter 22

In Cody's house...

Gwen brought Cody into his house after what had just occurred. Cody was sitting at his dining room table, still holding the wound that the person gave him. He was actually lucky Gwen brought a case carrying a First-Aid Kit inside of it. The goth girl went over to the boy as he was sitting at his table.

"How are you feeling, Cody?" Gwen asked him. Cody cringed holding the side of his stomach.

"I've been better." Cody said. "How do you even know about first-aid and stuff like that? Come to think, how do you know about using a crossbow? And...more importantly, why the hell were you out there attempting to go after that psycho?! You could get yourself killed out there!" Gwen pulls out a roll of bandages, before looking up at the geeky boy she was near.

"Well...before my dad left us, he taught me how to do a lot of these things when my little brother is at school." Gwen said, wrapping the wound on Cody's side with the bandages. "He brought me into the woods back when I was in middle school, and told me how to protect myself whenever I am in the woods alone. He also told me how to use the first-aid kit for emergencies out there as well. Personally, with all that he taught me back when I was a childhood, I guess all of that came in handy years later, huh?" Cody chuckles a little bit.

"I guess. But still, why the hell would you walk into the neighborhood knowing that psycho is out there? You could've been killed."

"I know. But I only went out there for the sake of the town." Gwen finishes up with the bandages, and then stood up from the chair. "My mother and little brother are out of town, and knowing that they could come back home in a month, I am not going to let this guy be around when they return."

"Okay. You're doing this for family, and family is a good thing. I get it. But still, let Detective Chris handle this."

"I would if I could Cody, but I have to so that I can make sure my family is safe from this guy or girl." Gwen pulls out the crossbow, and then walks up to the window. She peeks out the curtains, looking out to see if this figure was out there or not. She then looks back at Cody. "It's suicide of me to do something like this, I know. But considering all the bullshit that the town is going through, I think it's best that somebody stands up to try to kick this bastard's ass. If Chris is going to take his time, I'm going to take care of this figure myself."

"A bit hostile, don't you think?"

"Look, nothing's changing my mind, alright?"

Suddenly, the sound of banging was heard on the door. Gwen kept the crossbow in the ready, before peeking out the window, making sure that it's probably Chris or some of the police. But when Gwen looked out the window, there doesn't appear to be anyone outside. The goth didn't trust this one bit. She knew somebody was out there, so she kept her crossbow ready.

The goth girl walked out of the house, glaring around the front yard of Cody's house, not seeing anyone around. Not a single sign of movement out here. Strange. Then what was that banging out here? Because it was clearly on Cody's door, and nowhere else. That was when Gwen turns her head to look at the wall near Cody's mailbox.

It was the same arrow she sent at the guy after Cody was attacked. It had another note on it. Gwen immediately took the note out from the arrow sticking out of the wall, then walked into the house, closing the door behind her.

'I see that you've finally tried to track me down. Quite a shame you decided to waste a piece of paper, but I believe you should know this. YOU of all people shouldn't be involved in something like this. If you continue...well...I don't know what I'll do to you. But you're the least of my priorities right now. Keep yourself out of this...Gwen...' The note said.

So this figure knows her as well. Gwen had no idea how this guy or girl knows her name, but this had her freaked out. She kept herself together despite knowing what she knows now. However, maybe this could be some sort of clue. Whoever this is knows her somehow. Then again, whoever it is, already was in this town before, then most likely moved back.

The first person that Gwen thought of when it came to 'Moved Back' is Bridgette. But would a girl like her really be that hostile? Even then, she wouldn't make sense, she already confirmed that she is new in town. Not only that, but she doesn't really know Duncan all that much, and Scott died before she came to town.

So Bridgette is not the person doing all of this. Gwen walked back into the house, holding the paper in her hands. The goth closed the door, trying to think of who else could be involved in this.

"Okay...so this guy also knows who I am." Gwen said.

"You think? I think he won't forget the girl who attempted to act like a hero." Cody said.

"Shut up." Gwen sat down at the table, placing the paper she collected onto the table. "I never said my name around this guy yet. Nor did I even hear anyone else say my name around them yet. Either he knows me personally or...I don't know. But this is only a hutch in my mind."

"You're jumping to the conclusion that he knows you personally somehow?"

"I did say 'somehow', Cody. Keep that in thought." Gwen places the paper into her pocket. "That narrows it down to a couple people who I remember from my entire lifetime, including my friends back in our college. Bridgette is no longer a person who's a suspect since she doesn't know anyone around here, nor does she really seem to know anything about this town either."

"Bridgette, eh? Well...I believe you should know one thing about her, before you not believe that she's a suspect in this."

"And...what should I know about her?"

"Well...let's just say that she's dating Geoff. You know? That guy who threw the biggest parties at his house." Cody gave Gwen a smirk. "I remember one Halloween party ended up somebody knocking Tyler into the punch bowl...but enough said there. The real point I'm trying to get across here, is that if she doesn't know anyone, or anything about this town...then how does she know Geoff, her boyfriend, is here in this town?"

Gwen rubs her chin, seeing some of the points that Cody is saying. But apart of her didn't buy that Bridgette is the one who's been doing all of this. The goth shook her head.

"Cody, I believe we should find more clues before we start pointing fingers." Gwen said. She stood up from the chair again, before looking down at the boy. "Now...if you'll excuse me, I got to head out, and try to find this guy before they attempt anything else."

Gwen looks over to the door, then nods her head. As Gwen got to the door, Cody held out a hand, attempting to stop her. "Hold on, Gwen! What...what happens if you actually die out there?! This person told you not to get involved."

"And allow him to take down every last one of the bullies? I'm sorry Cody, but I'm not sitting back and allowing this to happen still." Gwen opens the door, before looking back at Cody one more time. "Just to let you know, before...if I actually end up dying out there...you and I may had our differences. You try to go out with me, and I always rejecting you. But even if...I ever saw you was nothing more but some dork...I appreciated our friendship, even if it felt like it didn't exist between the both of us." Cody looks down, at the floor.

"I...thought you always hated me deep down..." Cody nods his head at the goth girl. "...Be safe out there, Gwen." The girl straightens out her own trench coat, keeping her crossbow ready.

"Thanks."

Silently, the goth girl left his house. Cody sat there, looking to the floor, feeling a bit happy to himself that Gwen was actually friends with him in a way. He still didn't felt like he deserved her friendship, despite a couple times he tried to get her to fall in love with him. But then again, for Cody, all of that was in the past and nothing more. Especially when it came to dating Sierra, he nearly forgotten that he tried to get Gwen to fall in love with him.

'_I felt like I should've been a better friend to her in the past..._' Cody said in his thoughts. '_I'm not the coolest, nor smartest, nor nicest guy in our whole college, but...I wish that I could've been a little more respectable of Gwen's decisions and choices in the past. I know for a fact that I wasn't when it came to most of them..._' Cody looks at his door, looking worried for the goth girl again. '_I just hope that she makes it through the night okay._'


	23. Chapter 23

At Noah's house...

The boy who lives in the house, stared out his own window. He couldn't sleep at all, considering that he was paranoid if this figure would end up knowing that Duncan was in his house, and attempt to get in. So as Duncan was asleep, Noah stayed awake, deciding to make sure that this figure wasn't going anywhere near his house.

For the most part, Noah was trying to keep himself awake as best as he can. He had soda cups near him, he had the radio on to keep himself awake, hearing the song '_Semi-Charmed Life_' by Third Eye Blind on the radio, and he kept his eyes on the front porch from his window. Noah yawned on occasions, trying to keep himself from falling asleep. But that was when he heard the radio turn off out of nowhere.

Noah's face fell onto the desk, waking himself up from his tiredness. He looks behind himself, seeing Duncan, wearing a white tank-top and baggy jeans with tears in them, standing by the radio. He appeared to have turned it off when he came into the room.

"Dude, can you keep this off? I'm trying to sleep." Duncan said, clearly irritated. "What are you even doing up here anyway?"

"First of all, it's my room...second, I'm making sure that that douche-bag out there, doesn't come to my house. The last thing I really need is whoever the hell that guy is to come into my house to go after you." Noah said. "Now can you get out of my room so that I can be alone?"

"Whatever...I am still peeved with you for having Scott die back there."

"Whatever, just get out of my room already!"

"I swear, after we all survive this, I'm going to kick your ass."

Once Duncan left his bedroom, Noah looks out the window once again. Nobody in sight just yet. So if anything, that should be good for him, at least. But it'll lack a night of sleep for him, and he had already got over the whole problem before that he hadn't slept a whole night before. But he had to make sure that he was safe, along with Duncan.

It didn't really help Noah that he still felt incredibly sleepy while he was sitting there, looking at the ground from the second floor of his house. He tried to continue to keep himself awake, no matter what. However, all of this seemed impossible for him to do. But thankfully, something happens that made him able to not fall to the ground, finally sleeping.

The boy's phone immediately went off when he closed his eyes. Noah jumps onto his feet, looking down at the desk, seeing his phone was going off. Assuming that it was Emma, Noah answers the phone.

"Hello? Emma, if you're calling me, I got to say..." That was when Noah was interrupted.

"Emma? Noah, this is Courtney." A different female voice said on the phone. "I was told about what happened at the police station."

"Oh Courtney, you heard what happened at the police station..."

Noah stopped himself in his own words after saying that. His former crush said that she figured that out? She probably knows about the fact that he told Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro about what had happened at the playground on that very night when Scott was attacked. Noah knew that Courtney was probably as angry as her boyfriend after that.

"Oh...you know now? Well...I know what you're going to say to me. You're going to be furious with me because I allowed somebody to die, and I'm a terrible friend for even thinking that something like hiding in a playground, letting someone die is unacceptable for..."

"Noah, I think I'm going to have to stop your rumbling there." Courtney said, interrupting Noah after all of that was said. "I'm trying to stay impartial to this situation while trying to focus on the main one at hand."

"Courtney...if you blame me, I get it. I...think I should've done something to save Scott from that fight he was in. Hell, I think all of us are targets because I didn't do anything to stop that son of a bitch from killing Scott."

"I'm sorry. I just got told all of this from Duncan, and that he's sleeping at your house, and...I really wish he went to mine instead of yours."

"Eh, blame me for that too. I just...invited him along so I can...try to make it up to him...somehow. But that didn't do shit."

Still sitting there by the window, Noah took notice of somebody walking down the sidewalk. He stood there silently, looking at the sidewalk spot, noticing Gwen walking down the sidewalk with Shawn's crossbow in hand. Raising a eyebrow, Noah stood up from the chair he was sitting on, before heading over to his bedroom door.

"Noah, is something wrong?" Courtney asked.

"I gotta go, Courtney. I just noticed something outside." Noah said.

"Wait..."

"Can't talk now. Gotta run."

Noah hangs up the phone, and then ran downstairs to confront Gwen on why she was outside. He knew he couldn't allow somebody like her out here during a situation that was slightly his fault. So he had to stop her from doing something that is going to get her killed instead of surviving.

* * *

With Gwen...

She was reacting down wherever this figure went. She kept the crossbow close to her, as she was looking around the entire neighborhood. It seemed like after she came into the mix, the killer went into hiding knowing that she has a crossbow. That, or they didn't want to face Gwen now that she's involved in this.

The sound of police sirens were heard in the distance from where Gwen was standing at. Once she heard those sirens, the goth ran straight into the bushes, hiding from the polices sights. The goth poked her head out of the hedge, as a couple police cars were just passing by the location she was at. Once they were gone...

"You mind telling me why you are out here?!" Noah's voice shouts from behind her.

Gwen jumps at the sound of Noah's voice, as she aims the crossbow behind her. She took notice that it was Noah, she sighed in relief.

"Damn it, Noah...you scared me half to death..." Gwen said, shaking her head. "What are you doing out here? Don't you know that it's dangerous out here?"

"I should be telling YOU that." Noah said in a stern voice. "What are you even doing out here? There's a killer out here and you have...a crossbow? A baseball bat? Should I be worried if you're carrying more weapons?"

"Don't be. These are the only weapons I have." Noah roles his eyes. "Also, Cody knows that I'm doing this too."

"And he didn't stop you?!"

"Could you please pipe down before Detective McLean ends up hearing us? The last thing I need to know is that he is aware that we're out here, and I'm trying to protect the neighborhood from this psychopath."

"Yeah, try defending it. Until the psycho sends you to your grave!" Noah whispers harshly. "Also, don't you know that even if you get this guy, Chris will still be pushed off because you went against his orders and went after this guy yourself?"

Gwen didn't respond to those words. She then looks out to the distance, hearing rustling in the bushes out in the distance. Noah stood there, glaring at her.

"Uh...yeah, Rambo, you mind telling me what you hear, or see? Or whatever? Because I really want to know what the hell you're..."

Gwen places her index finger on Noah's mouth, making him silent. She points to the bushes that were out in the distance. One that was moving. One that was rustling. It didn't seem like an animal was in said bush whatsoever.

The goths suspicions came true, as a dark figure came out of the bush. The figure moved out to the middle of the road, looking around the place, before Gwen came out of the hedge she was hiding in. Noah slowly followed her out, seeing the person as well. Both were silent, not moving a single inch, as the figure was still looking around.

As it appeared to be her chance, Gwen raises the crossbow, aiming it at the figure. Closing one eye, Gwen nods her head, before muttering something to herself.

"Finally taste this arrow, you son of a bitch..." Gwen mutters.

Gwen shoots an arrow out of the crossbow, as the figure dodged the arrow before it could hit them. The figure than ran off, straight to a different part of the neighborhood.

"Come on, we can't let this bastard get away this time!" Gwen shouts, placing the crossbow into her backpack as Noah ran with her.

"Alright! But..." Noah shouts, before the goth interrupts him again.

"But nothing!" Gwen shouts, as she led the way. "It's do or die, this time! And if this asshole is going to continue surviving knowing that we'll take him on, he or she has another thing coming!"

* * *

The chase continued, until the figure finally made it to a random construction site in the town. The figure looked around, wondering if this place was abandoned or not. Thankfully, nobody was in sight for them to be stopped.

"That guys in the construction site! Come on!" Gwen shouts from behind.

Hearing the goths voice, the figure ran straight off to the spot of the construction site, where there was a crane. The figure avoided barrels, stone blocks, and discarded tools that were all over the ground. All the while, Gwen and Noah were hot on the guys trail. Still running for it, the figure continued until it was stopped by force.

Looking down, the figure realized that it's legs got stuck in cement that was still wet for some reason. Nobody was here, so how is it still wet? More questions were probably going through it's head, before Noah spoke aloud.

"We got you, right where we want you!" Noah shouts.

"Yeah!" Gwen shouts, before pulling her flashlight out of her pocket.

The goth shined her flashlight on the figure, finally wanting to know who this figure is. But when she finally shined the light on the person, the goth and other guy were surprised to see who was in front of them. It was Jo.

"What?" Gwen asked in shock. "You've been going around and killing your own friends?"

"Me?! Why the hell would I want to kill Scott and Lightning for?!" Jo asked clearly angry. "Lightning, I have a lot of reasons for, but not dirt farmer!" Noah shook his head, holding the side of his head.

"Jo is right. This doesn't add up." Noah said. "When Lightning died, she was there along with me and Emma. So it couldn't have been her doing all of this." Noah taps his chin, before looking at the goth again.

"Yeah...I think that's kind of obvious. Now can you please get me out of this cement before I'm..." Jo looks down, only to see that the cement hardened around her ankles, causing her to be stuck in place. The sporty girl groans in annoyance. "Oh, what are the fucking odds...and of course I get stuck as a result of being in here...thanks a lot, Batman and Robin. Glad to know that I'm..."

The sporty girls words were cut short, when out of nowhere, the sound of an engine was heard. Jo slowly turns her head towards the direction of the noise, only to see a bulldozer was slowly making her way towards the cement patch she was stuck in. Her eyes widened, as she tried to get out, clearly panicking.

"Oh crap, oh crap! Uh..." Jo tried to pull her legs out, but to no avail. "Don't just stand there! Help!!!" Jo screams.

"Shit!" Noah looks at the bulldozer, then noticed a metal pipe that was leaning on the nearby pile of wood. "Gwen, try to break Jo out! I got the bulldozer!"

"Alright!" Gwen shouts.

So Noah ran for the bulldozer, as Gwen tried to use the metal pipe to break Jo out of the patch she was stuck in. Gwen used all her strength to break Jo out, but then cement was too strong for her to break. Jo looks out to the bulldozer, as the scrawny boy climbed into the vehicle.

"Hurry up, I really don't like this!" Jo shouts, trying to keep herself together, as she was yanking her legs out of the cement.

Noah hops into the drivers seat of the bulldozer, trying every switch that was present. The engine appeared to ha r been sabotaged by somebody. The steering wheel also looked like it was broken too. Noah still tried his best to try to get this vehicle to stop.

"Okay. To stop this thing, the first to do is this...then...no, the real thing to do..." Noah said to himself, wondering what buttons do what, before holding onto his head in a stressful manner. "Damn it! Why didn't I bring Cameron along for this?!"

Gwen still tried her best to break Jo out. But still, nothing was working. Seeing the only chance left is to use the pipe of the bulldozer, she went for it, knowing it may or may not work.

Gwen approaches the vehicle, slamming a pipe into the engine in the back. She didn't know how this idea worked, but thankfully, it did. Once Gwen slammed the pipe into the engine, the vehicle stopped right then and there. Seeing that the bulldozer stopped, Jo sighed, feeling like she was safe.

"Ha...finally...guess that prick didn't think that plan through, now didn't he." Jo said.

But just as Jo said that remark...

From above, a huge pile of cement blocks came falling out of the sky, landing and crushing the sporty girl. The sound of Jo's short screams were heard as all the blocks smashed her, all at once. Gwen and Noah watched in horror as this happened in front of them, disturbed to see that this was the third person to die in such a horrific fashion.

"We're...we're too late to save her..." Gwen said, breathless and horrified.

"I-I can't believe this..." Noah said softly.


	24. Chapter 24

The very next morning...

A couple of the construction site workers informed Detective McLean of the event that had happened at their location. There were no workers present at the yard last night, however, due to the pile of cement blocks and the broken bulldozer, they knew something went wrong. So hearing about those two things, some policemen, including Chris, came to the construction site so that they can investigate.

Chris drives up in front of the trailer that was in nearby the cranes where Jo got crushed. The detective opens his door and stepped out. Once he was out, he looks around the construction site, before heading over to the pile of cement blocks. Chris took off his sunglasses than looks over to one of the workers who was coming over to him.

"I believe that an unfortunate accident happened here, huh?" Chris asked the worker.

"I'm afraid so, Detective McLean." The worker said, frowning at the sight of the detective. "We know it's probably nothing, but we're really worried about the pile that just appeared in the middle of the construction site. We're worried that it was caused by thieves." Chris raises an eyebrow, glaring at the worker nearby.

"You're worried about thieves? Look, man, I'm worried about this man who's going around attacking the residents of this town if you haven't noticed. The last thing I'm concerned about is a couple thieves who are going around stealing things from the construction site. Whatever they can steal here, they'd probably return it due to how petty it is to steal around a spot like this." Chris then points at the construction worker nearby. "One of you move all this cement blocks out of the way so that we can check out what's under this pile!" One worker approaches the detective rubbing his chin as he approached him.

"Uh...Detective McLean, sir...I'm afraid our bulldozer is...broken..." That worker said, kind of worried.

"God damn it, then tell one of those workers to get their asses and get somebody on this broken vehicle! We don't have all day!"

After Chris shouts that, the detective then looks over to the other police officers, who were staring at him. Chris then pulls out his phone, shaking his head. To him, it's crazy to him that he has to do everything himself. Especially when it comes to the police.

"Fine...I know somebody from my old college that knows how to fix machinery like that bulldozer..." Chris mutters to himself. "...I swear, you guys could literately pull your phones out and called a mechanic yourself before we got here." The other works rolled their eyes in unison hearing that.

It took a bit of time for the guy to finally get here, as well as some additional time for him to fix up the bulldozer's engines so that it can be working again. Once the bulldozer was fixed, one of the workers got into the vehicle, and then pushed the cement blocks out of the way so that they can see what was underneath the pile. What was underneath made the many workers and police officers sick to their stomached.

It was Jo. Or what's left of her anyway. She appeared to be completely stuck in the cement, and her body, it looked completely mangled after all of those blocks fell onto her. It was terrifying to say the least. One officer even went behind one of the cars to throw up after seeing that.

"By God...what has this psycho done?" Chris whispers under his breath. He looks behind himself to the rest of the police officers he was with. "Why Jo was even out here to begin with, we'll figure that out later. Whoever it is, he or she was here. What his plan was concerning both the crane and the bulldozer...it seemed ridiculous. But regardless, I want one of you to go to Jo's house and inform her parents of what has happened to her, one of you go to Mayor Hatchett and inform him of this, and a bunch of you to help me bring this body to the hospital. And MacArthur..."

"Yes, Detective McLean." MacArthur asked. Chris points at the police officer who was throwing up.

"Get that guy a paper bag."

"On it."

Chris walked over to the spot where Jo died, looking down at her with a disappointed stare. He crossed his arms, tapping his chin. Then he continued to look around, trying to find some sort of paper that was around this place, if there were any.

Looking around the construction site, Chris searched in places that he'd expect the psycho to be hiding when Jo died last night. He checked the trailer that was nearby the cranes. Nothing. He checked around the bulldozer, aside from the engine. Nothing. He then climbed up one of the crane that was above the spot where Jo got crushed. The man was a bit fearful, but it was the last spot around here that he didn't investigate yet. So it's time to stomach up the fear to not go up there, and do it anyway.

So Chris climbed up the ladder leading up to the top of the crane. He opens the door at the very top of the machine, checking the inside of the cranes driver seat. It doesn't look like anyone was inside of it, but he knew that the buttons have been pressed somehow.

This was when Chris noticed one of those notes Gwen's been founding around the town...

It was a bit of a dangerous reach. It was at the part of the crane where the string and hook was located at. So he decided to brave his balance, and tried to go towards that spot on the crane. He climbed his way onto the top of the bars, then made his way over to the hook spot. He stops at that spot, taking the paper that was stuck on the edge of the crane. He turns around, heading back to the ladder, then headed down to the ground.

Once he was on the ground, Chris looked at the note...

'_Looks like Jo is done for, after the damn second time I tried to get her. You tried to stop my plan once, but I expected you to be chased here. I have nothing against you, but keep out of this Gwen. You can't save everyone._' The note said.

"Gwen? Why is the note bringing her up into this?" Chris asked himself. "Does she know something that I don't?"

Looking at the nearby police cars, Chris places the note into his jacket, before walking over to his car. He whistles for MacArthur's attention, which led her to walk over to him. Once MacArthur was near Chris, the two began another conversation.

"So, I recently found this note, you see." Chris said, handing the police woman the note. "Gwen is mentioned in it. Apparently, this killer knows who Gwen is, but somehow, she is involved in this somehow. So what I want you to do is pick up Gwen from her house, and bring her over to the police station so that me and her can have a word about this note that I found." MacArthur hands Chris back the paper, then walks over to her police car, before Chris got back into his own car.

"Will do, sir." Chris and MacArthur started up their cars, then headed off to go to Gwen's house to pick her up.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Noah was holding up a couple of the photos that he found in one of the drawers of his house. Emma, Kitty, and Cody were following along, wondering where Noah was even going right now. The four of them were walking down the road, in complete silence, heading through the empty neighborhood. Nothing more but silence was what came out of all of them.

It was about an hour when they were walking together, and it was still nothing but silent. Emma finally broke the silence when they stopped at a random crosswalk at a random spot in a part of the neighborhood that none of them have been to before.

"So...where are we going, Noah? You never said where we're even heading to when you got all four of us together." Emma said. Noah finally spoke after a whole hour of walking through this neighborhood.

"Remember that talk me and you had yesterday?" Noah asked his new girlfriend. Emma nods her head. "I actually found one bit of a photo that had a missing part to it, and I had to see what this guy had any part of it." Noah looks at the photo in his hand. "This girl that me and Gwen saw on at the water tower. Her name is Zoey. She is dating this guy named Mike, who...I haven't exactly talked to him throughout the entirety of my college years, considering that I was always in the library, among many places there."

"Mike, huh? That guy who's dating Zoey?" Cody asked.

"That's what I just said."

"I know. I don't really know much about him either."

"Well...I gave Owen a call the other day about who this Mike guy is. He told me that Mike is, like Duncan, a bit of a lone wolf, in Owen's own words. He tends to be by himself for a majority of our college years. He also stated that Mike was often seen hanging out with the school's science class. How I never seen him walking around that class since I've been going to there classroom to study, I don't really know. But if we can ask him a couple questions about if he knows Duncan, and if there was any sort of rivalry between the two of them, then I think we'd be getting close to who this culprit is." Cody raises an eyebrow approaching Noah.

"Hey, dude, I don't mean to go against you on this one, but isn't telling me if incidents that happened like, a couple months back a bad idea?" Cody asked him. "It seems pretty insensitive to try to lay all that from the past in him out of nowhere. Especially when he might just be wanting to move on and forget about it."

"That I understand. But..." Noah stopped himself, not so certain how to respond to a few good points like that. He could really only say the more logical answer to all of what Cody said. "He might want to forget about it, but think about the rest of the town. We all have family and friends that we are wanting to protect. I bet if we told him what's been happening around the neighborhood, he'd be wanting to do a lot more for that Zoey girl he's with." Cody nods his head.

"Good point too." Kitty then jumps into the conversation, standing next to Cody as they walked.

"So, aside from Mike, who is this Zoey girl? Is she also a person who graduated college like the rest of you?" Kitty asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Kitty." Noah said to her. "I asked Izzy about her since Owen doesn't know, and...she was just as baffled as Owen was."

The four of them stopped in front of one of the houses that was in the block they were on. The house, as Noah mentioned, belongs to Mike, a student from his college. Looking down at the gate, Noah walks into the yard, allowing the other three in. Then they approached the door.

Noah approaches the door first, heading over to the welcome mat, that was just laying there in front of it. The boy then knocks on the door, waiting for some sort of response from the person inside, whether it would be Mike or Zoey. After a bit of a wait, the man himself finally answered.

The guy is rather skinny, with tan skin and black spiky hair. He wore a lime green shirt with a dark blue vest, and had jeans too. This was Mike, Noah remembers the photo he found, so this is him.

"Hello? Me and my girlfriend are busy watching a movie if you don't mind." Mike said. "What do you want?"

"Me and my friends have been searching the town for you and Zoey, hoping you can help us ask a couple questions." Noah said. "I hope you don't mind that." Confused, Mike looks behind the scrawny boy, and saw his other three friends.

"Are...you guys like, interns for Detective McLean or something? Because I don't think I've done anything wrong."

"No no no no, we are not accusing you of anything. We just need to talk." Emma said, stepping in. "You're...Mike, correct? We were just looking for you because...well...you and Zoey probably know about..." Feeling like that approach would have the door slam in their faces, Emma just didn't bring that up. "Look, why don't you just let us in so that we can talk? We'll explain everything once we're inside."

"If you say so." Mike looks inside his own house. "Zoey! A couple people came and they want to talk to us about a couple things! Is that alright?!"

"Sure. The more the merrier in this house!" Zoey shouts from the living room.

"Not why we are here. But okay." Noah said. The four walked into the house, as Mike closes the door behind them.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Gwen was sitting at her house, sitting at her kitchen counter. She had Trent over at her house, as she wanted to tell her all that she ended up seeing last night. It might've been a very bad idea to do so, considering that anything Gwen might say will be a totally bad idea, but she had to be honest with somebody. She sat there, drinking a random soda from her fridge, as Trent questioned her about the construction site incident.

"So...let me get this straight? You were walking around the streets, WHILE that psychopath is loose, and then you heard Jo screaming for help out in the construction site?" Trent asked her. Gwen nods her head.

"That's...basically what has happened." Gwen said.

She wasn't completely honest with her boyfriend on this one, knowing how over protective he is of her, and saying that she went out there with a crossbow would really make him even more anxious. So Gwen circled around the part where she chased a supposed 'culprit' into the construction site, and remained on the fact that she was out for a nice walk. It didn't look like it worked all that much, sadly enough.

"So now Jo's dead...that fucking sucks..." Trent said, leaning on the counter, rolling his eyes. "How does somebody like this even know about how to use stuff like a crane or a bulldozer anyway?" Gwen shrugs her shoulders.

"I honestly...don't know, all I know is that this culprit...whoever it is...he or she seems to be a complete genius, considering he knew how to send a metal pole flying at a fast speed, and somehow was able to operate a crane and bulldozer, I can only sit back and wonder who is even behind all of this." Gwen told him. "...Because now, there's probably a whole lot more people that could be the culprit in this..."

Before Gwen could finish her sentence, she heard the door being knocked on. She stood up, wondering who it was. She and Trent walked up to the door, opening it up, only to see that Chris and MacArthur were standing outside on her couch, staring at her with cold expressions on their faces.

"Uh...is there a problem, officer?" Trent asked the two of them.

"Officers, you mean?" MacArthur said, pointing at Trent. "Just because Chris is a detective, doesn't mean you can't refer him to 'officer', sir!" Trent held up his hands in defense.

"Jesus, take a chill pill, ma'am..."

"Anyways, what's going on?" Gwen asked the two officers at her house. "Me and Trent were busy talking to each other, and..." Chris didn't say anything, but stepped closer to Gwen. "...Something tells me this involves me, huh?" Chris silently nods his head, before handing her the paper so that she can read it to herself. Once Gwen saw her name on the note, she gasped in shock.

"Gwen...me and MacArthur need a long word with you at the police station, right now." Chris said.

"I-I...okay..." Gwen said, giving in.

"Pretty boy. Come along too, since you're her boyfriend, and you know her." MacArthur said, pointing at Trent again. "Also, because you disrespected both of us, by just saying 'officer', and not..."

"Okay, what the hell makes Chris even an officer? He's a detective, I think we..." Trent said, before being interrupted.

"IS THAT BACK TALK I HEAR!?"

"MacArthur, please." Chris said, glaring at the police woman. "Bring Trent, only because he knows Gwen personally. No need to go bad cop, and have the neighbors freaked out by this. We don't need more commotion already."

"Yes...sorry sir." MacArthur said calmly, before glaring at Trent. "But I still got my eye on you, pal." Trent held up his hands, before the four of them headed over to the police car so that they can bring Gwen to the police station.


	25. Chapter 25

Meanwhile...

With Bridgette now...

She was happy to know that she was safe to exit her own house, now that it was morning. She already had herself some breakfast, and it was only a matter of time before she went off to her job. The girl wanted to be alone, so she went outside.

Bridgette sat there on the porch swing, as it was rocking back and fourth. She kept thinking of how things went before she and her mother went here. The words she overheard from her parents bedroom when she went back home from surfing with her friends.

'_I'm sorry, but I cannot except this, Phil. The moment I saw you with that woman at your workplace, I had no other choice but to do this._' Bridgette's mother's voice said in her daughter's head.

The girl remembers her father, talking and defending himself after the divorce was mentioned to him. But it was clear, despite Bridgette not seeing him, it was all in crocodile tears. '_Sweetie, you know I would never want to hurt you this was. It was a mistake._' Bridgette remembered her father saying that.

'_What about your own daughter? Don't you know how she is going to feel hearing that you did this to us?!_' All Bridgette remembered after that was said was hear coming into the room, alerting them that she was back home already, and she ran off, crying while her father was calling out her name.

Those memories were still burnt in Bridgette's thoughts as she sat there on the porch swing. She still could never forgive her father after something like that happened to her. Not now, and Bridgette doubts ever. Now she was in this town at the worse possible time.

"Hey Bridge!" Geoff's voice shouts from the front gate.

The surfer looks up from the porch, staring at her boyfriend from where she was sitting at. She stood up from the swing, walking over to the partier as he remained standing by the gate of her house. He stared at her kindly, as he rubs a hand through her hair.

"How are you holding up?" Geoff asked her. "I was worried when you and I didn't continue talking last night?" Bridgette sighed, placing her hands in her jacket pockets.

"I-I'm sorry...I should've continued talking with her last night. But...then I saw somebody outside..." Bridgette said to her boyfriend. "It's not the person I saw at Duncan's house. It was that...one girl...Gwen. She was holding crossbow, and...she was out trying to take down that...guy by force." Geoff's jaw dropped hearing that being said.

"Gwen was trying to go after that guy? Is she mad?!"

"I don't know. She seemed pretty serious when she was ready to go after him...or her...or...whatever." Bridgette sighed, before placing a hand on her own head. "Genuinely, I did NOT want to come to this town, having any of this happen. It's bad enough that this year has not been good for me and my family, but..." Bridgette groans under her breath, then looks off to Duncan's house again. "I'm...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be too bitter about this. After all, Gwen was trying to save the town, somehow."

"At least. But..."

Popping out the side of the fence, Izzy came out of nowhere, shocking the couple in their spots. Izzy had her Detective hat on her head, as she stared at Bridgette and Geoff, overhearing the whole conversation that they were having. Bridgette raises an eyebrow, wondering what this girl wants.

"Uh...you mind telling me what you want?" Bridgette asked, bothered by Izzy being near them.

"I'm just keeping my eyes out for anyone who's suspicious around town." Izzy said, as she glared at the couple. "Also, because I am helping Gwen, Noah, Cody, and those other two girls out with this mystery that they are trying to figure out." Bridgette frowns, before groaning in annoyance.

"Is my conversation between me and my boyfriend really THAT important to you?" Izzy nods her head to that. "Can you not get me or Geoff involved in this? It's bad enough that I saw the figure in Duncan's house the other day, and I was endangered of being caught by him or her in the process."

"YOU were in Duncan's house?! What were you doing in that house?!"

"Just..." Bridgette felt like she was going snap any moment out of pure frustration. "...Can you just stay the hell out of my life right now?! Okay?! I was wanting to ask Duncan if me and my mom were safe in this town, and not in danger because..." Bridgette screams, before storming off to her front door. "GOD DAMN IT, I'M SICK OF TALKING ABOUT MY PARENTS DIVORCE!"

Bridgette runs off to her front door, angry and annoyed, as Izzy stood there dumbfounded. Geoff stares at the usually crazy girl, before he held up his hands with concern.

"Sorry. She's through a very difficult time right now." Geoff said, before following his girlfriend into her house. "Hey Bridge, hold up!"

"Well, guess that could've gone better..." Izzy said, before she ended up tripping over something that was in the ground.

Izzy sat up, rubbing the side of her head, wondering what she tripped over. It appears to be a package. But it didn't say who it's from or does it really have an address on it at all. Looking around it, Izzy stood back up, taking a good look at this box, before looking around the streets, wondering who left this here. She was starting to get fearful.

'_Okay...at first, I was getting into this kind of stuff, because it's all awesome, and stuff, but...now it's starting to get a little bit creepy now..._' Izzy said in her thoughts. '_Oh well, at least I get some sort of present out of it._' Izzy said, before beginning to head back to her house. '_I wonder what's even in here anyway._' Izzy headed home, which was a couple blocks away from Bridgette's house.

* * *

Back at Mike's house...

Mike closes the door behind himself, as Noah, Cody, Emma, and Kitty were all finally inside of his house. The four who entered went over to the living room, where Zoey was sitting on her boyfriend's couch, eating some popcorn. She looks behind herself, seeing that Noah and his friends were here now too.

"Oh, hey guys." Zoey said. "Hey, isn't that...one girl with the goth look with you guys? I don't see her anywhere."

"Well...I decided to go to her house after I get some answers from you two, if you don't mind that at all." Noah said, walking over to one of the armchairs in the living room, then sitting down in it. Zoey was a little confused by that being said, until Noah continued to talk. "I believe that you two know about all the crazy bullshit that's been happening around Leafton, right?"

Mike enters the living room, and then sat down on the couch, next to his girlfriend. "All of this isn't a secret, you know? I doubt the whole town hasn't heard of what's been going on, at least not all of them, anyway." Mike said. "Why are you asking us this?"

"Okay, let me be frank about what I'm going to tell you...so, Scott, Lightning, and Jo are dead, right? Well, I've been trying to figure out who this culprit is who's doing this to everybody in town. Whether they are getting everyone in Leafton or just Duncan and his friends." Noah then leans forward, onto his own knees. "Just to ask, do...both of you know who Duncan is, from college, I mean?" Mike points at his head.

"Is he the guy with the green mohawk?"

"That would be correct."

"I don't know the guy personally, but he sure is a complete...well, jerk." Mike held up his hands, shaking them after he said that. "I mean...if you're friends with him too, don't tell him I'm told you, because...I don't want him to kick my butt for telling you something that...is completely hearsay, or..."

"I'm not friends with the bastard, I'm trying to save his ass from getting killed from whoever it is, going around, killing his friends."

"Well, when you put it that way...sorry." Mike then looks over to Zoey, feeling a bit worried for their safety being in this town. He held her hand, before looking at Noah once again. "Just...get to the point already. What do you want?" Noah sighed.

"Look, I only wanted to know if you had anything to do with those deaths, and...I know it seems like I'm coming onto you two rather quick, but...the only reason I asked this, is because you weren't exactly seen hanging out with other students, Mike. So...that had me a little anxious." Zoey raises an eyebrow, feeling like what Noah asked is in complete poor taste. She glared at the boy, shaking her head.

"How dare you accuse somebody like Mike of doing something so vile!" Zoey said, angry at Noah. "Mike would never do something like that." Mike silently nods his head, before speaking.

"Zoey, please seat down for me. I'll handle this." Mike said, before he scooted closer to the left, closer to Noah. "Look, I know I've been alone a lot back in college. But just because Duncan went after me at times, doesn't mean that I'd go and...do all of this. Even I wouldn't go and think of something like this." The boy then points at Noah, speaking some more. "Not to mention, if I did go after Duncan, why would I go after his friends? I didn't know anyone he was even friends with at all."

"Oh..." That was all Noah could say.

The boy looked down, feeling terrible for coming to this house to accuse Mike of such actions. Taking a sigh, Noah stood up. He looked over to the couch, seeing Mike staring at him with a blank expression, while Zoey was glaring at him, still disgusted by the boys words. He held up his hands, feeling terrible for what he ended up doing here.

"I-I'm so sorry...I should just...leave you two alone...and, thank you for...your time, you two." Noah said, before passing by the two on the couch, and heading out of the living room. "Damn it, I feel like an asshole..." Noah mutters, standing next to Cody.

"I told you that all of this was nothing more but a misunderstanding." Cody whispers to him. "So it really looks like Mike doesn't really have anything to do with something like this."

"Not really." Noah then looks at the photos again. "It looks like the photos caught me off-guard...guess it really is either Harold, or Cameron, or Sam, or...whoever else...it's got to be one of the other people that Duncan's been bullying in the past that has done this to his friends."

"Agreed." Cody then pats Noah on his back. "...Look, about Mike, don't worry about him. I bet he'll give you a call, and you two can sort things out later on." Noah nods his head.

"T-Thank you, Cody." He sighed, before the four of them walked out of the house, leaving Mike and Zoey to stay behind, watching the movie they were watching once again.

* * *

At the police station...

Gwen was told to sit at Chris's desk, as the detective himself was sitting in his regular chair. Trent was standing the door out of the office, leaning on the wall, feeling uneasy about being inside of the detective's office right now. Trent had nothing to say, but hoped that his girlfriend wasn't in any sort of trouble with Chris.

After a couple moments of silence, Chris finally spoke. "I believe you have read that note I found on the crane, and hope you got a good enough explanation about all of this?" Chris asked her, glaring at her. "Somehow, this killer knows you out of all of the people in this town. So...you mind telling me why your name is even in this note?" Gwen gulps, looking at the note Chris found again.

"Detective McLean, I...I genuinely don't know how this person knows me, but..." Gwen stops herself from talking. Chris spoke up again.

"Not to mention, and this is probably something that I should've asked first, but...why is this dude saying that you were attempting to stop his plan once? If I didn't know any better, by the sound of it, it sounds like you were trying to act like you can be some sort of town hero, and stop this guy yourself. Not to mention, YOU CHASED JO TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, THEN SHE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU?!" Gwen shook her head, holding up her hands.

"Hold on, me chasing Jo there was an accident, Detective! I don't know how the hell he or she did it, but...I didn't know we'd end up at the construction site! I admit to the fact that I was walking around town trying to get this guy myself, but...Jo was in the shadows, and...I chased her by accident as well!" Gwen then points towards the window. "I wasn't even alone when Jo died either! Noah was with me, he saw the whole thing!" Chris looks behind himself at the window, he often stares out of, before glaring back at Gwen.

"Guess we'll never figure out the truth there...Noah's not here to back up this claim."

Gwen tried to speak up, but lowers her head, not wanting to speak any further against Chris. She knew arguing more would result in her being thrown behind bars or something like that. Chris grumbles something that Gwen couldn't make out, until he finally spoke aloud for her.

"Well, I can't say I'm a little disappointed in you, Gwen." Chris said. "Because you seriously look like the only sane girl I've met in this town out of Noah and Cody. Next time I hear you were trying to be some sort of hero, you're going to be behind bars until this guy is captured. Are we clear?"

"Clear as day." Gwen mutters. "I won't do this again."

"Alright." Chris then points at her. "Remember, If I see walking around the streets, trying to act like a hero..."

"Heard you the first time, Chris. No need to repeat yourself." Gwen said, standing up.

* * *

Leaving the police station, Gwen had her hands in her pockets as she was heading out the door with Trent. The boy didn't really say anything, since Gwen seemed pretty angry at her argument with Chris. He had no idea what to even tell her after that conversation went down.

"Can you fucking believe this, Trent?" Gwen asked her boyfriend.

"Well...you did go out there while the police were out there, so..." Trent said, only to get a glare from Gwen in response.

"Oh don't side with him...he doesn't know that he's not any better. Three of Duncan's friends are now dead, and he isn't doing shit about that. Failing sounds like what he's doing..."

"Yeah, but still...doing what you told me back at the house. You risked your own life to try to take down some guy you don't know can overpower you in seconds or so..."

"That prick isn't afraid all because I brought a crossbow to a crowbar fight. Not to mention...when whoeverthat was saw me back there at the gas station, they seem pretty shocked to see me."

"That's because they know you somehow. Chris said that."

"It's like they were afraid of me when they saw me." Gwen rubs the back of her neck as the two approached the bus stop. "It's just weird. That's all."

Gwen has no idea who it was still. But wondered how somebody like Jo's death seemed well set up before one could know she'd run into the construction site. That seriously confused her, because that seems pretty impossible for somebody to have ahead of time.

"Hey Trent, I hope you don't mind. I need to go back to the construction site later on. You mind coming along?" Gwen asked him. Trent's eyes widened.

"What?! Did you hear what Chris said back there? Play hero and then be behind bars." Trent said.

"But he didn't say continue to be Detective. He said to not go out there and try to take this guy down by crossbow." Gwen glares forward, looking out to the distance. "If I do run into this guy once again, I'm keeping my crossbow with me when I go."

"Gwen...listen to me, I love you and all, but you seriously shouldn't go out there at night. Just listen to me this time."

Trent places a hand on Gwen's shoulder, signaling her to not go anywhere tonight, so that she won't be in any danger. Gwen stood there, looking at his hand, before closing her eyes, seeming as if she was going to give in, and just not go anywhere. Trent felt like Gwen was actually going to change her mind on this one, before she held his hand, taking his hand off of her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Trent. But nothing is going to change my mind on trying to take this guy on by hand." Gwen said to her boyfriend. "You can try to change my mind all you want, but there's no way that I'm sitting back and letting whoever the hell this is get away with all of this bullshit." Gwen turns around. "I'm sorry if I'm completely going against you on this one, but somebody's gotta protect this town." The goth girl started to walk off, leaving Trent behind as she did so. Trent wanted to try to call out Gwen, but to him, knowing her, there's really no changing her mind on anything. So he had no other choice but to not stop her on this one.


	26. Chapter 26

Back with Izzy again...

She carried the strange box into her house, placing it down on her coffee table. Izzy looked out the window, wondering if anyone was watching her. So she went to every single window, locking them, them locked the front door, the back door, and the garage door. Once all of that was done, Izzy went downstairs to open the box.

The girl didn't hesitate to open the box with her bare hands. She opened one part of the lid, then the other. She looks inside the box, hoping that it wasn't a head of one of the past killed friends of Duncan, or something completely deathly. Thankfully for her, it was neither one of those.

Inside the box was what appeared to be a jacket that had the words 'New York' on the back of it. This felt like a complete coincidence to Izzy, because according to Gwen, the baseball cap found near the river also said 'New York' on it. Looking inside the box one more time, Izzy saw nothing else inside of it. There wasn't really anything that really stood out to her all that much from the outside, so Izzy could only wonder if there was something inside one of the pockets.

The girl looks through both pockets, only to find another note that Gwen's been finding around town. It was folded up into a square, small enough to fit inside the pocket. Izzy unfolds the note, then sat down to read it to herself.

'_So it appears that the first week of my time being back in town hasn't been all too good. Turns out, I saw that Duncan prick once again...but this time, he was by my house...he appeared to be spray painting something on the side of my house. Because of course he was. When is he ever good? If he keeps doing this, I honestly don't know what the hell I am going to do._' The note said.

Izzy looks over to the window once again, hoping nobody was outside of it while she was reading the note. Taking a quick peek out the window, Izzy saw that nobody was out there, except for a few passing cars, or neighbors. Which to her, seems like it means the coast is all clear for her. Taking a sigh of relief, she places the jacket back into the box, and then tapes it back up. She kept the note, knowing that Chris would want to see it when she comes over to the police station. The jacket, Chris already knows that the guy is from, or went to, New York already, but it's best she brings it anyway.

'_Well, the more items found, the better..._' Izzy said in her thoughts. '_But I wonder why this person left this jacket in a package near Bridgette's house. I don't think Bridgette would really look good in that jacket I found at all. That jacket she's wearing already looks good enough on her anyway._' Izzy then looks down at the box she was holding, still a little bit confused about something. '_Then again, why was that jacket in this box? If that belongs to this guy, then...is this even the jacket they were wearing whenever he or she __was out and about? The more E-Scope thinks about this, the more it doesn't make any sense!_'

Izzy then stops herself at the bus stop near her house, looking off to the right. She sighed, seeing nobody was walking around the place that stood out to her. Once the bus pulled up next to her, she got onto it, and headed off to the police station to give the jacket and note to Chris.

* * *

Later that night...

Gwen told Trent that she was going out here, and she was staying to that promise. Gwen was going out to the construction site to try to find more clues. She knew if she went during the morning, Chris, or his other officers would probably stop her from doing so. Going at night was her best option now.

Wearing the same coat and outfit she wore when she was hunting the person out here the night before, Gwen arrives at the construction site. She climbed over the metal gate, and jumped down to the other side. She glares around the area, making sure that there was no sign of anyone around the place before she could go in any more deeper. After seeing that there was nobody in sight, Gwen walked more deeper into the area.

Gwen stopped at the spot where Jo got killed at, seeing the entire place was cleaned up. Not a single drop of blood, nor a single footprint was around. She knew that this was too good to be true, so she still investigated the entirety of this one area. Because she knew whoever was doing this, couldn't have been anywhere farther than this one spot with the cranes. So this whole spot is Gwen's best spot of finding more evidence.

So Gwen was told by Chris, when he was berating her for going after the unknown guy, ahead of time that, he already found nothing up in the cranes. Knowing that the cranes have been searched already, Gwen went to the other spots Chris hasn't checked out yet.

The first spot Gwen spotted that Chris didn't check yet was the cement truck that was right behind the cranes. She looks under it, nothing. She checks inside of the truck's driver seat, nothing. She then looked up into the roof, also nothing. So the cement truck seemed to have no items that she's interested in, or could be considered evidence.

The second spot that Chris didn't check was the piles of dirt that was almost out in the distance that were near the middle of the construction site. Looking at, and around the many piles, Gwen didn't really find anything that could be considered evidence whatsoever either. However, it seems that she might've found something that could be something that appeared the be useful later. That being a rusty crowbar. She picked it up, and kept it to herself.

That leaves the final spot out near the fence of the construction site, the tool shed. The one that was near the cement spot that was also near the cranes.

Gwen noticed that the door was locked. Thankfully, she has the crowbar for her to use to get into the tool shed. So she uses it on the door, then entered the shed.

"I'm finally in..." Gwen said, stepping into the shed to look around. She reaches for the light switch, only to see that the lights won't turn on. "Of course they won't turn on when I need them the most...guess my phone will have to do..."

The goth girl turns on her phone's flashlight, before walking into the small building. As expected, nothing more but tools, wood, and other stuff that they use around this place. Gwen looked around, not leaving until she found at least one thing that could be considered evidence. The goth looked around some more, until something on the workbench caught her eye.

"Hello...what's this?" Gwen asked herself, walking over to see a phone that was on the top of the desk.

Gwen picks it up, before looking down at the paper that was on the desk as well. It was Jo's phone number. Gwen was even more confused, but then she felt like a theory was in mind, that could be the only conclusion of how this person knew Jo was actually going to come to the construction site.

So the Jo died, she was leaving her house, despite how dangerous it is, and Chris telling them to stay at their homes. Whoever it is, must've been a person who called Jo to tell her to come meet her at the construction site. But who could it be that made the sporty girl even want to come down here? The only person that came to Gwen's mind was either Duncan or Alejandro, since those two, Jo trusts the most in this town. It makes sense to Gwen, but she knew that Duncan was with Noah.

Gwen felt like that was the only explanation to why Jo was even out in the neighborhood, and how this psycho knew she'd go out to the construction site at night. Gwen has a feeling Jo was manipulated to come out here. It was a ridiculous thought, but to Gwen, it was the most plausible reason to how this makes sense.

"Well, guess I have to show Noah or Cody this when I see them again." Gwen said to herself, before turning around and heading out the shed.

Gwen left the shed, ready to head home, only to see the gate out in the distance. There they were, the man who everyone's been looking for. That psycho who's been going around, attacking all of Duncan's friends. He's just standing there, glaring in her direction.

The goth took a better look at her surroundings a little bit more, trying to find a way to get out of the construction site. That was when she saw a pile of pipes that led over the fence to the far right. That seems to be her only way out on this one, so Gwen made a straight dart for them immediately when she saw them. The figure went for Gwen when they noticed she was heading for the pipes. So they went immediately for the pipes as well.

Gwen started to climb the pipes out of there, only for the killer grabbed her by the arm before she could get away. The figure pulled Gwen onto the ground, only for Gwen to send a fist flying directly into the unknown person's face, sending them falling to the ground instead. Just as the person was about to get up from laying in the ground, Gwen knocks the person out by hitting him in the head with a nearby shovel, knocking him unconscious.

"That should keep you knocked out for a good few minutes." Gwen said, before climbing out of the construction site, leaving the person behind as they were left knocked out. "I better find Noah, and show him this phone. Hopefully, him and Duncan are not getting themselves into some sort of argument." Gwen hops onto the sidewalk, and headed off to go find Noah's house, so she could show him more evidence that she's discovered.


	27. Chapter 27

Looking outside his window, Noah saw that it was raining outside. It started about a couple seconds ago, and for him, it felt almost peaceful for him to listen to. It wasn't making him less worry about everything that's been happening, but it sure what calming his nerves a little bit.

Sitting there, Noah was whistling '_Singin' in the Rain' _to himself as he was sitting on top of his desk, looking out to the rainy night outside. Considering that Noah can't hear footsteps outside his hallway, he knew Duncan was most likely asleep or still in one of the other rooms. Thank God, because Noah was not needing to hear more berating from Duncan this month.

Still looking out the window, Noah took notice of a shadowy figure walking down the sidewalk. Noah could only assume that this was the person who was going around the neighborhood, wanting Duncan and his friends dead. He went downstairs to make sure that this wasn't the same figure, or it's just another friend of his trying to get to his house through the rain. Making sure that he was prepared for a fight, Noah picks up the nearby umbrella, then looks out the door.

He looked outside, before noticing that the figure was already at his door. Noah gasps, falling to the floor in shock as the door swings open. The figure steps into the light, revealing themselves to be only Gwen.

"Noah, relax. It's only me." Gwen said, taking the cape-looking trench coat off, then putting it on the rack. "I came here to show you something that I found at the construction site." Gwen began to make her way to the dining room, as Noah closes the door behind himself.

"What could be so important that you walked through the rain to get here?" Noah asked the goth as she went over to the dining room table to sit down. Gwen pulls out the paper and phone that she found, then looked over to Noah as he entered the room.

"These were what I found at the construction site." Gwen told him. The goth then turns her head towards the living room, hearing the sound of Duncan exiting the living room, heading inside the dining room now. "Duncan, were you sleeping in the living room?" Duncan rubs an eye, before nodding his head.

"Yeah. It's the only room in this house that has a comfortable bed." Duncan said, before glaring at Noah. "There was no way I was sleeping near this guy, who allowed my friends to die." Noah glared back at him, angry at him for the blaming that he was doing, only for Gwen to speak up before another argument started happening.

"I'm guessing Noah told you about what has happened to Jo, huh?" Gwen asked him.

"Yes. He said that he saw you, chasing Jo into the construction site, but when in reality, I bet it's really just him trying to make up a story where he made another one of my friends die, for no reason other than he hates my guts." Noah shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I know for a fact that you would not lie to me and say that what Noah is saying is true." Gwen stood there, silently, not saying a word to him, before turning towards the items she collected.

"Noah is telling you the truth, Duncan." Gwen said, bluntly, standing up for Noah. Duncan was confused.

"Huh?"

"Turns out, I was chasing Jo, however, on my end, it was a misunderstanding. I assumed that she was whoever it was out there, but then we ended up at the construction site." Duncan felt a little betrayed hearing that, still trying to put together why Gwen would go and do something like that, before the goth continued to speak. "Also, if you're wondering why Jo is out there to begin with, despite Chris telling us to stay at your houses, she was told by someone to go to 'safety' at the construction site, only for it to be a trap for her." Gwen hands the juvie punk the paper with Jo's number on it, as she then looks over to Noah. "Just as I left, the killer was actually entering the construction site while I was there. He or she tried to attack me..." Noah and Duncan were shocked hearing that being mentioned. "I fought back when they attempted to, most likely, kill me. I punched them in the face, and knocked them out cold with a shovel."

"Damn, Gwen..." Duncan lowers the paper, before looking at his goth friend again. "...I had no idea you had this in you." Gwen shrugged a shoulder, before giving the juvie punk.

"Hey, when your father's always bringing you out to learn how to keep yourself safe out into the woods, they really come in handy when somebody's trying to attack you."

The goth then looks over to Duncan, who was looking on the other side of the piece of paper that he was holding. He seemed to be horrified by something that was on the other side of the paper. Gwen and Noah walked over to him, as Noah took the paper away from him, to see what the punk was seeing, and what he ended up seeing was even worse than Jo's phone number being on the paper.

"He has Courtney's number too?" Noah asks in a worried whisper. "Oh no..." Noah looks over to the two other friends that were in the room with him, worried that Courtney might actually be in danger as well.

"Courtney is probably somebody they called too..." Gwen said with worry. "Do you think they already called her?"

"Courtney's smart enough to not trust a phone call from a person she's never met." Duncan said, before he picks up Gwen's baseball bat off the side of the walkway.

"Oh, don't tell me you're going out there." Noah said. "You know facing up against the guy will have you killed as well!" Duncan glares at Noah, not really listening to him.

"She's my girlfriend, even if you and I are not friends. I'm not letting some douchebag kill my girlfriend all because of reasons that I don't know about!" Duncan walks over to the door of his house, exiting it in the process.

"DUNCAN!" Noah shouts, before going after the punk as he was leaving the house. Noah ran out of the house, leaving Gwen all by herself now. The goth shook her head, pretty annoyed, before deciding to head out of the house herself.

* * *

With Courtney...

She actually went off to the town hall that night so that she could talk to the mayor and Topher. Courtney also became aware of Jo's death after Duncan and her talked on the phone about it. Once she heard about it, she decided to confront Mayor Hatchet about this, wanting to know if he's got any sort of plans to stop all of this.

"This is starting to get utterly ridiculous!" Courtney said, pacing the mayors room, before stopping in front of the desk, where Mayor Hatchet was sitting at. "Already three of Duncan's friends are killed, and it's only a matter of time when my boyfriend, Alejandro, and...whoever else in this town this person hates, gets a majority of the town. Is there any sort of plan to ensure the safety of our townspeople?!" Mayor Hatchet sighed, before standing up.

"Courtney, we and Detective McLean are doing our best to try to make sure that everyone in this town is safe from getting killed by this guy." Mayor Hatchet said. "Also, when it comes to complaining, Chris should be the one to talk to."

"I would also complain to him to give me a different job that's not helping the mayor out." Topher said, glaring at the wall to the right.

"You...sort of wonder why you're here at the town hall rather than with Chris at the police station." Courtney said, sarcastically to him, before turning her attention towards Mayor Hatchet. "But...regardless, Mayor Hatchet, I know we knew each other personally in the past, you use to be the owner of the daycare before while my mom and dad are away during their work, and I've always been good to you in the past, but...my concerns are valid, you know. I'm not doing this for myself and because Duncan's my boyfriend, but I'm doing this because I am deeply concerned for our towns safety. So if you tell me you guys have this all under control, I'll be less than concerned for all of the town's safety." Mayor Hatchet sighed, before sitting back down in his chair.

"Courtney, I'm concerned too. But I am relying all of my trust on Detective McLean on this one." Mayor Hatchet said, before leaning forward on the desk. "I know that doesn't mean much, but I can assure you, that he has this town completely secure from left to right." The man then held up both hands. "In other words, Chris is trying. He's not the best detective, but he's trying his best to save everyone in here before things escalate to being worse than they are."

Courtney looks to the floor, blinking at least once. She didn't really want to argue with the mayor, since things escalated this far. She looked up at the mayor, deciding that she should just go home, and leave him be. Mayor Hatchet spoke one more time, before Courtney could leave.

"Just trust me on this one, Courtney. Go home and get some rest now. Okay?" Mayor Hatchet asked her. Courtney sighed, before nodding her head.

"I will, mayor." Courtney said, backing up towards the doors behind her. "And...good day to you and Topher." She said, bowing her head, before heading out the doors behind her.

Courtney exits the town hall, suddenly realizing that it's raining outside. Of course it would be raining while she is out here, trying to reason with the mayor. Of course she is stuck at the town hall until morning. The girl rolled her eyes, before picking up the nearby item to use as an umbrella for herself, which was some empty bucket.

'_It's not an umbrella, but it'll do._' Courtney said, before charging out into the rain, keeping the bucket over her head as she tried to make it home.

Thankfully for her, her house was right nearby the town hall. So she wasn't too worried that she might need a long walk to the town hall.

* * *

Once Courtney got home, she tosses the pail into the garbage can outside her house, then headed inside. She took a few breaths after her run, before she feeling like eating dinner now, then heading off to bed. So she walked into the kitchen so she can eat something.

After eating some leftover food she and her parents got from Applebee's, Courtney went upstairs so that she can go and do something before going to bed. She walked over to her bedroom, picking up her phone, wanting to text her father when he'll be back from work. Of course, Courtney ends up hearing that her father is going to be heading home late, again. Probably talking with that girl Lindsay's father at the office once again. She was too tired to even care.

So after changing into a regular green t-shirt and purple pajama pants, Courtney went straight to bed. She really wants this day to be over, so that she doesn't have to be too stressed out about everything that's been going on in her life. She closed her eyes, and laid there, trying to sleep.

But before she could sleep at all, the sound of something falling was heard outside...

Courtney's eyes went open the instant she heard that...

"Ah, what the hell..." Courtney mutters, as she glares at the window. She assumed that another squirrel got into her backyard again, and knocked over one of the flower pots in the garden. "...Probably another squirrel, or something...I'm too tired to deal with it, right now..."

Courtney still attempted to try to sleep the night away, until she kept hearing strange noises out in her backyard. She thought it would just go away, but it kept going, and going, and going, until the girl had enough of the noises, feeling like it's more than just some squirrel that's lurking around in her backyard. She stood up out of her bed, and headed downstairs so that she could see the on Earth is going on out in her backyard.

Looking out the back door, Courtney didn't see anything, or anyone, out there. However, she did end up feeling like some animal entering her backyard was correct, since she saw that one of the flower pots were knocked over onto the grass. She rolled her eyes, before making sure that the back door was locked. Once she knew that her back door was locked, Courtney went upstairs to finally head back to bed.

Walking up the stairs, Courtney believing that it was only a squirrel is gone when she heard the sound of her garage door opening...

She didn't hear her dad pulling into the driveway, so it wasn't him. Courtney was now beginning to become frightened at the fact that there might be somebody entering her house right now. She walks down the stairs, slowly, before looking out from behind the wall, seeing that the door to enter her garage from the kitchen was starting to rattle. It took a bit before it could open, which revealed somebody that Courtney was shocked to see. The same figure that was going around and trying to get Duncan and her friends.

Courtney gasped in horror, at the fact that this figure was suddenly in her house now. Noticing that there was the person entering her house, Courtney ran immediately upstairs, heading towards the bathroom to hide inside of it. She locks the door, and kept her distance from the door. She pulls out her phone, trying to text Duncan, or Noah to warn them about the person who's now inside of her house. She texted both of them for help, until she heard the sound of the door-knob on her bathroom shake. Courtney shrieks in horror, as she behind behind the sink, huddled while shivering in fear.

"I'm too young to die!" Courtney shouts, fearing for her life, behind the sink.

After a couple seconds after Courtney shouts that, she heard another voice calling her name downstairs. She opened her eyes, looking over to the door, feeling a bit relieved when she heard the voice shouting from downstairs. Courtney stood up from the ground, looking over to the door.

"Duncan..." Courtney said, before heading over to the door, slamming her fists into the door, trying to make sure that her boyfriend hears her from upstairs. "Duncan! I'm up here! HELP!"

* * *

Downstairs, Duncan, Noah, and Gwen finally arrived at the house, hearing the sound of the knocking from downstairs. They actually took notice of the garage door opening downstairs when they finally arrived at Courtney's house. When they saw that, they knew Courtney was in some sort of danger. Prepared to try to discover who this guy or girl is, they immediately ran inside.

Hearing Courtney screaming from upstairs, they knew for a fact that she was in trouble. Hearing his girlfriend's voice, hearing that she was okay, Duncan attempted to run for the stairs, only to see that the figure who was trying to get him was up there.

"Well, it seems like you and I finally meet face to face, huh?" Duncan asked, angry. "You better not have grabbed my girlfriend, or else it would be the end of you..." The guy held up their hands, as if this isn't a threat whatsoever. "Oh, now you're trying to surrender...nice try, asshole. But you killed three of my friends already, and you think I'm going to sit back while you take the love of my life?!"

The figure slowly backs up, before Duncan balled up a fist. Noah and Gwen came into the same room where the stairs were located, seeing the person was upstairs, not fighting or going after Duncan. The killer has him right there, so why isn't he or she going after him. By the looks of him or her, it doesn't look like whoever this is brought means of defending themselves while they were here.

"Well, you brought fists to a...well, fist fight!" Duncan shouts, before charging at the person.

The figure dodges Duncan, heading down the stairs. Noah and Gwen tried to block the doors, only to get knocked down by the psycho before they were able to grab a hold of him. Gwen stood back up immediately to try to go after this guy herself, only to run out to see that whoever it was, disappeared out into the night.

She glared around the part of the neighborhood that she was in, making sure that there was no sign of the person anywhere in sight. After seeing that whoever it was was gone, Gwen sighed shaking her head, before heading back into the house.


	28. Chapter 28

The night went by pretty quickly for the four of them...

After that little incident happen, Duncan, Noah, and Gwen stayed with Courtney until the morning came. Duncan remained outside of his girlfriends room, making sure nobody was coming upstairs. While Noah and Gwen took turns, both sleeping, and making sure that no psycho was coming to Courtney's house. It was pretty much a long time for the two of them after what had happened, but at least when morning came, the rain finally stopped.

Once morning came, Duncan stayed with Courtney for the rest of the day, as Gwen went off to her own house, as Noah was now on his own. He decided to hang out with Emma at her house, since if Duncan were to come home early, he didn't want to put up with his shit again. He honestly didn't want to go and continue hearing his constant blaming and complaining, and all of that garbage. So to him, it was better to just go to Emma's house, hoping to just relax.

He arrives at his girlfriends house, heading up to the front door. He knocks on the door, getting the attention of Kitty from indoors. The sister with ponytails walks over to the door, allowing Noah into their house.

"Oh, hey Noah. I was wondering when we were going to see each other again." Kitty said. Noah chuckles a bit, before entering the sisters house.

"It's only been two days since me and you talked." Noah said with a smile. "I doubt it's really been THAT long a time that me and you haven't talked to each other." The boy then looked up at the ceiling. "So, uh...is Emma home right now?"

"Just in time before she could go off to the library, actually." Kitty whistles for for her sister to get downstairs. "Emma, Noah is here! No need to go to the library to find him!"

"Coming down!" Emma shouts from upstairs.

Emma came running downstairs, noticing Noah at the door. She walked up to Noah, then stood by him. The two held hands, before heading out the door to go and try to head off to the library. The two walked out of the house, leaving Kitty to watch them leave as she closes the door for them.

With the couple now, they were talking about what has happened last night. Emma wasn't exactly sure what had happened, due to the fact that she texted Noah a couple times, hoping that things were okay, only to be ignored. Noah wasn't doing it intentionally, since he was focused on trying to save Courtney from the person who is assumed to be the killer. Noah explained to her everything that happened.

"Yeah, sorry about not texting you...I promise I'll text while running if that makes you feel better." Noah said. "Not sarcasm or an insult, I'd totally do that...if I was good enough to do both at the same time." Emma giggles a little bit.

"Would be cool if you did that, honestly." Emma said. "Any more clues yet?"

"Not yet, all I know is that Courtney is now a person who's also wanted dead by this guy, so...that's sadly something..." Noah shook his head, before looking over to Emma once again. "Speaking of which, have you heard anything from Alejandro lately? I don't think any of us have ever seen or talked about him recently." Emma rubs the back of her neck, before looking to her boyfriend again.

"You know, now that you've mentioned it, I don't think I've seen him walking around town recently at all either." Emma cringed, before looking over to Noah again. "Do you think we should be worried?" Noah nods his head.

"If he hasn't been seen or heard from in awhile, I believe we should check up on him." Noah said, worried. "I mean, he's already lost about three of his friends to that guy or girl, so I think it's best we give him a call or at least, a visit one of these days to see if he is alright. Believe me, he also blames me for what happened to Scott, but I know that unlike Duncan, Alejandro would resist fighting a person."

"I guess that's somewhat of a good thing."

"It pretty much is, meaning Alejandro won't kick my ass when I try to explain myself a little more about what happened, and hopefully, he'll be reasonable to forgive me for what has happened. I gave him enough time to cool off anyway."

"I guess you're right." Emma then pulls out her phone, then looks over to Noah. "Do you know where Alejandro lives in this town?" Noah shrugs, as the two approached the corner of the block they were on.

"Beats me. But hopefully, if he's not mad at me, Duncan will hopefully give me his address."

"Alright."

* * *

Meanwhile...

With Bridgette...

The girl was sitting in her bedroom, reading a book on her bed. Her boyfriend was actually coming to visit her and her mother again, so this morning was going to be somewhat good for the girl. But as she was laying there on her bed, Bridgette heard the sound of her window being knocked on.

Looking over to said window, Bridgette noticed that Izzy was actually standing by her own window. The surfer girl's eyes widened at the sight of the crazy girl being there, before she walked over to the window, opening it up, and glaring at the girl standing on part of the roof. Izzy waves before she started to talk to Bridgette.

"Okay, so I know what you are thinking. How did I get into your roof. Well, turns out, my house is actually right over your fence to the north, so I jumped over your fence, and tried to pass that pond in the middle of your backyard..." Izzy explains to her.

"That's my pool." Bridgette said.

"Sure, pool, pond, same thing! Anyways, I passed that, then I took a ladder from that shed over there, and then climbed all the way up here! Then that's how I ended up up on your roof, and...now here I am, talking to you about what had happened before and..."

"Can you please get off my roof? The last thing I need to talk about is what I'm going through, nor do I want to talk about me being in Duncan's house when that psycho came into his house." Bridgette then looks over to the side of the part of the roof Izzy was on. "Come to think of it, get off my roof before my mom comes home to see you up here! It's bad enough that somebody is around town and I came mere feet from death, and if he or she overhears this, than the last thing I need him to see is you up here, and they have a shortcut to get to me!"

"Oh please, I doubt they know anything about me and you being involved in helping Chris and his police friends figure out who this psycho even is."

"Would you not..." Bridgette hold the side of her head, getting more annoyed by this girl every second she's here. "Damn it, look, can you not try to get me furious already? I've been through enough this month, and I'm trying to move on, and I'm trying to be professional with you. So can you please not get me all worked up?" Izzy nods her head.

"I'm only here to say I was sorry anyway. So chill out, Bridgette."

"Then apology accept, but that still doesn't mean not go to my front door." Bridgette sighed. "Better yet, why don't we talk by the back door. This will be a lot more easier."

A couple seconds later, Bridgette walks downstairs, heading to her back door. Once she got there, Izzy just enters the surfer's house, right than and there. Bridgette sighed, before closing the door, then walks over to the kitchen counter, leaning on it. The two started their conversation once again.

"So...now that I'm inside, I just want to say that I doubt you're any sort of suspect that is involved in this whole ordeal. So to that, I'm sorry." Izzy said. "Also, if MacArthur is here right now, I'd be apologizing for her too."

"Why would you..." Bridgette asked, before closing her eyes, shaking her head again. "I'm sorry, sometimes, you are so confusing. Anyway, do you even know who this psycho even is? Because my mom still doesn't have any sort of idea who this guy or girl is, and if she hears about this, she is going to freak the hell out."

"All I can tell is that you should just relax. We're all working on it, from Noah, to Gwen, to Duncan, to Cody, to...well, me, to Owen. Everyone is wanting this guy in jail. We're all trying, but this guy, he's totally quick on his feet, and he seems super fast."

"How is somebody like a regular human being able to escape so fast? All of this seems impossible." Izzy shrugs her shoulders, before Bridgette continued to think this was weird. "I don't know who this guy even is, but they serious need to put whatever anger they have against Duncan and his friends behind already, and turn themselves in." Izzy sighed, before placing her hands on her hips.

"It's...not that easy. They got three people killed, so that leaves Duncan and Alejandro left. If they are going after everyone in town, then boy, they have a while until they get everyone." Izzy then pulls a baseball bat out of nowhere, then twirls into the air, catching it in the process. "But I doubt that they will get too far. With me helping the police and all, I know for a fact that E-Scope is going to completely have that guy behind bars, seconds flat." Bridgette looks down to the ground, shaking her head, distressed by that idea.

"We are so fucked..." Bridgette mutters, finding this to be a seriously bad idea.

"Oh, quit being pessimistic. We can handle this." Izzy places a police hat onto her head. "E-Scope is on the case for that psycho!" Bridgette places her head down, groaning in annoyance at the fact that Izzy was actually going to try to save the town.


	29. Chapter 29

So, now with Gwen...

The girl sat in her house alone, pacing her living room. The goth girl couldn't really believe that Courtney was attacked last night, or almost attacked last night anyway. She had to go back out again, and this time, try harder to stop this guy before he gets to Courtney, Duncan, or Alejandro. Them, or any of her other friends. But she's not letting that happen, that's for sure.

Still pacing around the living room, until she heard the sound of her front door being knocked on. Gwen walked over to the front door, before seeing that Trent was actually outside her house right now, which she actually felt safe knowing that he was here. She opened the door, allowing Trent into her house.

"Hey Trent." Gwen said.

"Hey Gwen." Trent said. "I guess you're still worried about what has happened between you and Chris, huh?" Gwen nods her head, as the two walked into the living room, so that they can talk some more.

"I don't know how to tell you this, Trent. But Courtney was just attacked by whoever that was last night." Gwen leans on the back of her couch, crossing her arms. "Me, Noah, and Duncan ran off to her house, and...believe it or not...acted like a complete coward when the three of us arrived at her house. Even running off instead of fighting all three of us." Trent raises an eyebrow, finding this mysterious.

"Wow, that's kind of weird, isn't it?" Trent leans on the couch next to his girlfriend. "So...now what? What are we going to do about this person?" Gwen sighed, before turning her head towards the chair where she left her crossbow that was placed on the seat of it. The goth walked over to the crossbow, picking it up, and then nodding her head. "Oh no...Gwen, don't tell me you're actually going to go out there to try to stop this guy once again." Gwen looks behind herself at Trent, nodding her head.

"In a matter of fact...I'm afraid I'm going to have to." Gwen places the crossbow into the backpack, then faces Trent again. "If Duncan didn't see Courtney's number on the paper in time, she'd probably be dead. So who knows if this guy will attack again, or not." Gwen then walks up to Trent once again. "Besides, Chris was nowhere on the job when Courtney was attacked, so how can we continue to rely our trust in him if something like happened last night, happened?"

"Uh, cross our fingers and hope that this time nothing goes wrong."

"Be serious, Trent. I trust Chris with this, sure, but I feel like things are going too far now. It's about time that whoever this is arrested quicker than...Duncan during any day of the week." Trent was now super worried about this idea. He didn't want his girlfriend in anymore danger.

"Gwen, I seriously don't think you should do this. Don't you know that if you go out there tonight to do something like this, you could end up dying?!"

"Then like if the other three survive or not, guess we're going to have to cross our fingers and hope I don't die." Gwen then faces away from Trent, holding the crossbow in her hands. "This time, tonight, I am not missing this guy one bit."

Gwen raises her crossbow, firing an arrow into the vase that was on one of the tables that were in the dining room. To Trent, this really meant that Gwen was not kidding when she said that she was not going to miss getting this guy one bit. Gwen lowers her crossbow, still keeping a glare on her face, as Trent gulps with worry about what is going to happen tonight. He then raises up a finger, speaking to his girlfriend.

"Uh...I hate to joke around, but...I think we should clean that up, now that you've destroyed that vase..." Trent said, voice visibly shaken. Gwen looks at the dining room once again, before lowering her head.

"Yeah, we really should..." Gwen mutters, walking into the dining room to clean up the mess that she made.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Detective McLean was just driving around the town, trying to find this killer before he gets anyone else. In the process, he wanted to give Alejandro a visit to see he was happening all of this. Hell, he has no idea how he was feeling about all of this now that Jo has been dead, let alone know if he is aware of her death. Best Chris goes and checks how Alejandro was doing.

During his drive, Chris was listening to the song '_Bad Moon Rising_' by Creedence Clearwater Revival on his radio on his way to the Spanish man's house. The detective finally arrives at the man's house, parking his car in front of the house. He got out of his car, making his way up to the front door so that he can see if Alejandro was home or not. Considering that the guy's car was in the driveway, it was pretty clear that he was home.

Chris knocks on the door, getting Alejandro's attention inside the house. The owner of the house opens the door, seeing the detective standing outside of his house. Chris finally spoke. "Hello Al, I see that you're home." Chris said, causing Alejandro to be annoyed.

"Don't call me that, please? My older brother calls me that, and the last thing I need is to be reminded of him." Alejandro mutters. "What brings you to my house on this fine morning?"

"Well, I haven't heard from you in awhile, so I went to make sure that you were okay."

"What a coincidence." Emma's voice said behind Chris.

Startled by the voice, Chris looks behind himself, seeing Noah and Emma standing right behind him. The two just arrived at the same time he was, which was indeed a coincidence. Chris laughs off Noah and Emma being here, until he turned towards Alejandro.

"Anyways, can we come in? Or are we not aloud into your house?" Chris asked. "Because I was just making sure you're alright, despite all that has been happening throughout a majority of the month."

Alejandro nods, allowing the three of them into his house. Noah was surprised, feeling like Alejandro would've still been angry with him due to the fact that he was angry along with Duncan and Jo upon hearing about Scott's death. Maybe he is moving pass that already? Noah didn't question this, he just walked into the house with his girlfriend following behind him.

Inside the man's house, Alejandro handed the three of them water bottles, along with getting one himself. The four of them than headed off to the living room so that they can sit down. Chris continued what he was going to say, immediately once they got into the living room.

"So, before I ask you Alejandro, I want to ask Noah and Emma something." Chris said, causing the Spanish man to nod his head. Chris then looks over to Noah and Emma, eyes narrowing at them. "Should I ask why you two decided to come here?"

"I mainly came to apologize to Alejandro about all that has happened. Mostly for what had happened to Scott when all of this first happened." Noah said. "I guess it would be null and void, considering that Duncan is still pissed off with me, but I had to anyway. Not to mention, with what had happened recently, I feel like it's best to see if he was okay or not." Noah then looks at Alejandro, wondering if he was or not. "I believe Chris was also coming here for that reason too, but...so did I." Emma nods her head. Alejandro sat there silently, before looking at his water bottle.

"Truth be told, I am still furious with Noah for what had happened to Scott..." Alejandro said, softly. "...Now, I end up hearing that Jo died a couple days ago, and that two people were there to try to stop it, according to Duncan. Personally, I feel like I should be angry with different people instead of the ones who tried to help."

Noah was finding the guy's words a little suspicious of what he was talking about. Chris was jumping to any sort of conclusions, so that was good, so far anyway. Alejandro then looks over to the three people who were still in his house. He sighed, before shaking his head at what happened to Jo.

"If it makes you guys feel any better, if I were there when Jo died, I probably would've saved her, or probably had my life taken instead of hers." Alejandro said. "My heart may belong to Heather, but that doesn't mean a girl like Jo suffers like Scott and Lightning." Noah looks down, feeling like he had some guilt in having those mentioned three dead, before he could even save them in time. He sighed, before looking over to Alejandro. "I feel nothing but guilt, like daggers hitting my head, hearing what had happened to Jo on that fateful night...it hurts me deep inside, wishing it were all a nightmare." Noah nods his head, looking down to the floor, feeling guilt about what had happened to Scott, Lightning, and Jo in the past few days.

"Truthfully...I wish that I...I was there to save Jo in time...it would at least show Duncan that I can save at least one of his friends." Noah said. Chris looks over to the scrawny boy on the second couch, before shaking his head.

"Hey, don't blame yourself on this one Noah, despite what happened to Scott...pretty much is your fault...but, there's no need to play hero in a situation like this." Chris said. "I'm not doing this to stop you, but I'm doing this because I want the town safe. Do you understand?" Noah and Emma nodded their heads, before the sound of beeping was heard on Chris's watch. "Well, it looks like it's time for me to get some coffee now. I will see you three later."

"Will do, Detective McLean." Emma said.

So the detective left the house, leaving Noah and Emma alone with Alejandro. Once the detective was finally out of the house, Noah looks over to the Spanish guy, seeing that he was looking at his own water bottle still. Noah took a sip of his own, before he finally spoke to the guy.

"So...I don't mean to be rude, but...by the way you were wording that..." Noah started off saying. "...Are YOU the guy going around, and killing all of Duncan's friends?"

After a couple moments of silence, Alejandro spoke. "Actually...no." The man said, placing his water bottle aside, and standing up. "All I can tell you is that Duncan might be furious with you for what has happened to Scott. I still am too. Only slightly." Noah looks down to the floor. "I don't know what had happened to Lightning, so I know nothing about that, but...I was told by Duncan, by Gwen, that she and you were there at the construction site, the night Jo died."

"Oh...well..."

"Enough words." The man said, holding up a hand. "...Gwen said that you were trying to save her instead of letting her die. Duncan still blames you for Scott's death, but despite still knowing that...I feel like it is only fair to forgive you on this one. Considering that you tried to save Jo shows me that you have redeemed yourself somehow, and with that, I feel like you are worthy of my forgiveness." Noah and Emma looked at each other. Noah looks back at Alejandro, feeling like all of this was sincere.

"Thanks Alejandro."

"Don't mention it." Alejandro then walked over to the kitchen, ready to walk into it, before looking at the two of them again. "Anyways, I must do some chores right now. May you two leave, now?"

"Of course, of course." Emma said, standing up from the couch she and Noah were sitting on. "Me and Noah have to get going anyway. It's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you two, as well."

Emma and Noah exited the house, heading off to go off to one of their houses. Little did the two of them know, the figure was lurking behind the bushes from outside, watching the detective enter the house, including them. The shadowy figure walks off to go and heads off to another part of town.


	30. Chapter 30

Later that night...

Gwen looked at the clock, seeing the it was already time to go find this guy again...

Noah, Cody, Emma, Kitty, and Trent came to the house after she called them, as she needed some help. The first four were willing to help Gwen, while Trent was super hesitate, as he was not wanting to go to jail because of a couple broken rules. The goth girl walked back into the living room where everyone was sitting at, then spoke to them once she arrived.

"Okay...it's night already." Gwen said.

"I guess that's already obvious anyway...but...still, I think it's time to go over the plan." Noah said, standing up from the couch. "So...considering that Gwen's got a crossbow and baseball bat, what do the rest of us have? Because if we try to get this guy ourselves, than our asses are completely screwed!"

"Not to mention, how will Chris and the rest of the cops feel, knowing that we're out there trying to get this guy anyway?" Kitty said, speaking up. "I mean, he already told Gwen she shouldn't go out there to try to take on this guy herself...so what makes us think that all of us going out there isn't going to get all of us behind bars?" Gwen cringed, remembering all of this, before finally speaking.

"Okay...maybe the plan isn't that thought out just yet. But Shawn should be helping us out with this as well." Gwen said.

"Shawn?" Cody asked.

"That's me." A man's voice said from nearby.

The group looked over to the dining room, seeing a guy walk out of it. The guy has brown messy hair with a green beanie on his head. He also is wearing an orange vest with a white buttoned-down shirt, and dark blue jeans. This guy is somebody who is from somewhere up north who came down here for the college, and also felt the need to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, in case it ever happens. Noah raises an eyebrow, pointing at the guy.

"Gwen, you brought along him?" Noah asked the goth girl. "I think we already have enough people. It's like, what? Seven people trying to get one guy, we're basically an angry mob already." Gwen pulls out her crossbow, and then twirls it around in her hand.

"Well, Shawn's been helpful in this situation by allowing me to borrow his crossbow." Gwen said. "Also, he has another one, in case zombies finally came to Leafton." Shawn pulls out another crossbow out of his vest. Emma raises an eyebrow, looking at the guy that's helping that out on this.

"Zombies? We're going after one person. This isn't the Walking Dead." Emma said, sarcastically. "How do we know you're any good?"

"Oh trust me, I know how to handle one of these things very well." Shawn said. "Sadly, though...I was saving both of my crossbows for me and my girlfriend Jasmine, but, there are some items that I did end up bringing along with me to help you guys out."

Shawn passes out a couple items that could be helpful for Noah and his friends. Noah and Cody were given baseball bats. Emma was given a regular bow, with some arrows. Trent was given another baseball bat. Kitty looked at what the other got, and then looked at Shawn, shrugging her shoulders, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Kitty. But that's all I really had with me." Shawn said.

"Well crap! Now I know I'm going to be screwed." Kitty mutters. Emma looks over to her sister, before holding her by the shoulder.

"Just as long as you stay by me, Noah, and Cody, everything will be alright." Emma reassures her. Kitty nods her head, feeling a little confidence of going out there to try to get this guy. "Alright, so who's going with who on this one? Because I feel like it's going to be me, Noah, Cody, and Kitty."

"That sounds like a good idea, since you four seem like close friends." Shawn said, nodding his head. "Me, Gwen, and Trent will go together." Trent than held up a hand.

"No offence, but...do you guys really want me to join along in this?" Trent asked, nervously. "I mean, I'd do anything for Gwen, and I would protect her no matter what, but...this is completely suicide. I really think all of us should stay put and let Detective McLean and the rest of the police handle all of this." Shawn narrows his eyes at him, before walking over to the boy's spot.

"Can I tell you something?" Shawn asked him. Trent was a little baffled, but he nodded his head, silently. Out of complete nowhere, Shawn slaps him in the face, then points at him. "Are you a coward?! If you haven't noticed, this guy is probably after everyone in town, and your first idea is to 'Stay Put'? I don't think so, man!"

"Jesus Christ, dude! Fine...I'll join along anyway..." Trent said, glaring at him. "Just don't make me regret joining along, and making a mistake along the way."

"Well...let's finally go out there than." Gwen said. "Noah, what part of the town do you guys got?"

"Duncan's safe at my house, so that's good. Courtney's safe at her house, and Alejandro's at his house...so...just to make sure that Courtney and Duncan are safe, I'll be in my part of the neighborhood." Gwen nods her head.

"Seems fair. Then me, Trent, and Shawn have the part of the neighborhood where I was attacked at the gas station." Noah raises an eyebrow, hearing that being said. "It's a long story, alright? I'll tell you if we all survive this night together."

"Good luck guys, and just remember to be careful while you're out there." Shawn said, keeping his crossbow near himself.

"Alright." Everyone pretty much said in unison, before heading out the door.

* * *

So the two groups headed out to the neighborhood to find this guy before he attacks one of the others again...

With Noah, Cody, Emma, and Kitty, the four of them were walking on the block of the neighborhood where Noah's house was on. It was a couple blocks away from Gwen's house, so it felt like somewhat of a long walk. But none of them complained, since walking for awhile was the least of their issues at this moment.

The four were actually walking pass Noah's house right now as Kitty was shining the flashlight at the house. Noah stared at his own house for a couple seconds, seeing that it all seemed pretty secure, and Duncan was already in the living room, most likely watching TV, and that's it. So Duncan wasn't really doing anything much inside his house while they were out trying to find whoever's out here. After seeing the Noah's own house was safe, the four continued to walk.

"So, where on Earth does Gwen know how to use a crossbow anyway?" Kitty asked. "I've never seen a girl like her use such an object like that before." Cody looks over to Kitty.

"Gwen's father actually taught her in middle school." Cody said. "She told me he'd bring her out to teach her how to survive out there in the forest if she were by herself. He taught her how to use a bow and arrow whenever she's in danger, how to use a first-aid kit, I guess really, he was teaching her how to camp...and now, him teaching her those things is what Gwen's using to try to survive all of this, and handle this killer in the process."

"Oh, that sounds helpful." The girl spoke again. "I've never heard Gwen talk about her father before. She does talk about her mother and little brother a lot, but not her dad, why is that? The only thing that Gwen really said was that he just left her and her family."

Cody looks down, feeling a bit forlorn of talking about Gwen's life behind her back, as he never really liked doing that to her. Especially after saying that his and her friendship meant something to her, even if it felt like it wasn't there. He looks over to Kitty, finally responding to what she just asked. He sighed, and just said the first thing that's on his mind, due to the fact that he didn't know Gwen's father all that well.

"Honestly, I wish I knew as well, Kitty." Cody said, frowning. "I know Gwen wouldn't be thrilled of me talking about her personal life behind her back, considering that me and her are starting to become better friends with her, especially after our talk at her house." Cody sighed, before looking over to Kitty one more time. "Believe her, if you know her and I...I feel like I should really do everything I can to make it all up to her, before we're all most likely dead." Kitty nods her head.

"Good idea, Cody." Kitty said, smiling. "But try to keep onto some hope in this situation, we haven't even seen this guy yet, and who knows, maybe things will be better for you and Gwen."

"I like to see that happen." Noah said, sarcastically. Sadly, Cody responds to that by elbowing his best friend in the side for making a remark like that. "Ow! Sorry, dude."

"Let's just stay focus on this guys. We're trying our best to defend Duncan, Alejandro, and Courtney, as well as everyone else in this town from this guy. We shouldn't really be too focused on what's going on in our personal lives right now." Emma said. "No offence, Cody."

"Hey, none taken." Cody said. "Just be on your guard."

"Agreed." Kitty said.

"I know." Noah said, still feeling pain from Cody elbowing him for making a sarcastic remark. Cody cringed, before shaking his head.

"Yeah...sorry about that..." Cody said.

"It's fine, it's fine...let's just focus on finding this guy already..."

* * *

Meanwhile...

With Gwen, Trent, and Shawn...

The three of them were walking through the neighborhood, trying to find the figure around the part of the neighborhood where Gwen's house is located at. Gwen felt the wind going through the cape-like trenchcoat she was wearing, as she was looking up at the sky, seeing clouds forming up there. Looks like it's going to be another raining day is about to happen.

Gwen led the way, while Trent and Shawn were walking behind her, keeping their eyes on every single part of the neighborhood they pass by. Gwen was too focused on what was ahead of her, that she nearly didn't end hearing a male voice coming from behind them. Upon hearing the sound of the voice, Gwen immediately looked behind herself, stopping her two other men in the process.

From the distance, Gwen could see that the man who was coming over to them was no other than Geoff. The party guy of the town. What was he doing outside at this kind of night anyway? Gwen passes the two boys that she was with, stopping in front of the party guy as he approached them.

"Hey! I was shouting for you guys to slow down!" Geoff said, finally catching up to them. "I saw you guys passing my house, and I really need to tell you, get inside! There's a mad man on the loose!"

"You think we don't know that?" Gwen asked him. "We're going to find him and stop him, once and for all. Before he kills another one of our friends."

"This is crazy! You really think that going out here to get this guy is going to help you?!"

"That's what I said." Trent said, causing Gwen and Shawn to glare at him. "Sorry..."

"Look Geoff, if that is really all you got to tell me and my friends while you're out here, you're not changing any of our minds. I'm doing this to defend this town and my family, and if Chris isn't doing so good at this, then somebody's got to go do it." Gwen looks down at her crossbow. "Are you going to let us leave, or what?" Geoff looks behind himself with concern, before sighing, not being able to convince the three overwise.

"Fine, but...I have to join you guys in trying to stop this guy from doing all of this."

"What?" Trent asked, in disbelief.

"My girlfriend is new in town, and I have to protect her at all costs. I promised her nobody was going to get her after she went into Duncan's house, while the psycho walked into his house." Geoff looks down to the ground, before pulling a baseball bat out from his own jacket. "I'm doing this for my Bridgette. And I'm not letting that psycho come close to my girlfriend again."

"You've been saying that baseball bat for a rainy day, huh?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah. It's been inside my jacket for awhile."

"Okay than. Looks like we got another person to help us out. Now let's all go find this guy before he gets to one of the three friends were trying to protect." Trent, Shawn, and Geoff all nodded in agreement, before heading off deeper into the neighborhood to find this guy again.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"So, you're helping out the cops?" Topher asked, standing outside of the town hall, talking to Izzy. "Mainly that MacArthur woman?" Izzy nodded her head again.

"Yeah. I was actually told to look around for this guy, now that it's nighttime, and inform MacArthur if I see anything that appears to be suspicious." Izzy said, before pulling out a walkie-talkie out of her pocket. "She told me to use this in case I see the guy out here, or if there's any sign of Duncan, or his last friend, out there lurking around." Topher rolled his eyes, before crossing his arms.

"So...why did you come to tell me this for? Because as far as I'm concern, this sounds like something I wouldn't give a shit about. Unless this is for Mayor Hatchet, because if you're just here, just...because, than get lost."

"I will. But...actually, I'm only telling you because MacArthur told me to tell you just in case. Now...I'm off to go and help MacArthur start searching the town." The usually crazy girl pulls a random police hat out of nowhere, then places it on her head. "E-Scope is on the case! Peace out!"

Topher rolled his eyes, before walking back into the town hall. Izzy on the other hand, ran for the police car that was parked on the street right next to the town hall area, with MacArthur inside of it. Izzy hops into the police car, then looks over to the police woman.

"You ready to take this guy on?" Izzy asked MacArthur.

"You bet. Let's go find that punk!" MacArthur said, starting up her car. The two started to head off into the neighborhood to find this guy. They drove off, driving around the corner exiting the town area.


	31. Chapter 31

Back with Noah, Cody, Emma, and Kitty...

They were still walking through the neighborhood, trying to find whoever it was doing this to Duncan and his friends. So far, nobody seemed to be lurking around the streets tonight, nor did Chris or any of the cops appear to be around the streets either. It seems like this whole attempt at trying to keep Duncan and his friends safe was going to be pretty easy for them.

The four were passing by the same abandoned gas station that Gwen was at before, seeing that it was, still empty. Emma walked up to the window, looking inside, seeing that there wasn't anything inside the place. Not a single movement was seen inside the small building.

"So...why did we come here?" Cody asked. "I don't see anyone in there that we need, or anything for that matter. Unless one of us wants a Snickers bar." Noah looks over to Cody, shaking his head.

"Now's not the time for candy." Noah said. "Besides, we're out to find this psycho, remember?"

"I know. But I was wondering why we even came to this place, if there's nothing that we really need in there." It was at that point, Emma noticed something in the reflection. She gets her bow and arrow ready, then kneels down, turning around, looking out to the street. "Emma, what is it?"

"Look across the street." Emma said. "The spot we crossed the street from."

Noah, Cody, and Kitty looked over to the corner of the street, seeing there they were, the same person who's been going after Duncan's friends. Whoever it was, he or she was just standing there, staring directly at them. Nobody moved a single inch, seeing that all of stunned on what to do in this situation. Emma scoots herself a little closer to the spot where the figure was.

"If I were you, I'd give up!" Emma shouts to the guy. "I have the bow and arrow, while you have a crowbar! If you want to try to sort this out peacefully, than try to say something now, before you leave us no other choice!"

The figure didn't do anything after they heard Emma shout that. All the person did after hearing that was pull out their own crowbar, still keeping that intimidating stare at them, across the street. Noah and Cody got ready to use their baseball bats, in case something happens, while Kitty stood there, keeping the flashlight on the guy.

"Why are they not moving?" Noah whispers to Cody.

"Maybe they're intimidated by us now. This guy was when you, Gwen, and Duncan were at Courtney's house." Cody whispers back to his best friend.

"Yeah well...Duncan was with us, and by the looks of the situation back there, it didn't seem like they even had a weapon at all when me, Duncan, and Gwen came to Courtney's rescue." Noah rubs his chin, finding that a little weird. "Now that's a little strange...I wonder why they didn't bring their weapon that time..." Emma whispers something to herself, while keeping an eye focused on the figure across the street.

"Seems like whoever this is, isn't completely a threat." Emma whispers.

While it seems like nothing was going to happen between either one of the five in this situation, the sound of police sirens came from nearby. Noah, Cody, Emma, and Kitty looked over towards the direction of the siren noises, as the figure quickly ran off from the sound of the police sirens. It seems like he was saved by the sound of a police siren.

Feeling like they'd be the ones mistaken for whoever's doing all of this, the four went behind a nearby wall that kept them hidden away from the police. Noah kept his head out from behind the wall, seeing what's going on. When he did so, he was shocked to notice that Izzy was somebody who was looking out the window, still wearing that police hat and sunglasses.

"Any sign of that punk?" MacArthur shouts from inside the police car.

"Nope! It seems like we're all good in this spot!" Izzy shouts, before pointing forward. "Drive onto the next part of the neighborhood!" The police car drives off, as Noah stood up from behind the wall.

"What the hell?! Izzy is now helping the police on this one?!" Noah asked. "So they can get pissed when Gwen tries to be a hero, but they are allowing Izzy to help out one of their cops? Hypocrites..." Cody stood up.

"Tell me about it!" Cody said, bothered. "We have got to warn Gwen about this, like, right now!"

"Agreed. I'm calling her now." Noah pulls out his walker-talkie, ready to give Gwen a call on it.

* * *

Back with Gwen...

The goth looked down one of the corners of the street, wondering where this killer even was right now. Trent, Geoff, and Shawn finally arrived, walking up to the girl as she was looking behind the fence. Suddenly, all of them started to hear Cody's voice coming from the walkie-talkie.

"Gwen...Gwen, are you there?" Cody asked. Gwen took the walkie-talkie out of her pocket, then held it near her mouth.

"Right here, Cody." Gwen said, looking around the neighborhood. "Did you and your friends found the guy yet?"

"That too, but before I bring that up, I really need to say something important...because me and my friends say Izzy along the way. But...the issue there is that she's helping MacArthur out during a police search around town." Gwen's eyes widened hearing that being said to her. She was seriously going to have a huge word with Izzy for doing something like this. "She was also the reason why the killer got away from us when we had him in our sights."

"Son of a bitch..." Gwen mutters, before looking down at the walkie-talkie again. "I'm going to seriously lose my shit with Izzy when I see her again for scaring him or her off like that. Be careful out there still, Cody."

"Be careful too, Gwen."

After the call ended, Gwen turns her attention to the two boys, placing her crossbow into her backpack. "Okay...it turns out, Izzy is pretty much helping the police out while we're out here, so if we hear police sirens, we're going to have to hide." Gwen said to the three boys that she was with. "Geoff, why the police don't want me out here...I'll tell you when all of us survive this, okay? Right now, it's just a very bad time to talk about any of this." Geoff nods his head, silently, as Gwen turns around. "Well...let's continue, I guess."

The four of them continued to walk, until Trent looks up at the sky, seeing the clouds. He saw a bit of lightning in the distance, showing him that the rain was almost in their town. He sighed, before he walked up next to Gwen and Shawn who were walking together.

"So...uh...where's Alejandro's house anyway?" Trent asked his girlfriend. "I don't think you ever mentioned where he lived around this part of the neighborhood." Gwen looks over to Shawn, as the guy spoke.

"I live across the street from Alejandro." Shawn said, looking behind himself. "He and I don't really talk at all, but I do see him walking out of his house to collect the mail time to time. But we never talk." The man with the beanie looks forward. "I know where his house is in this neighborhood. So if we go around this corner, we should be able to arrive at his house."

"Looks like we didn't need to walk too far, huh?" Geoff asked his three other friends.

"Not really." Shawn said, as he passes the corner.

The four walked up to Alejandro's house, looking over to said person's house. The lights appeared to be off, and the front door appeared to be open. They didn't hear anything inside of the house when they were on the man's lawn, so they knew something wasn't right.

The four had a very, very bad feeling upon this sight. Gwen and Shawn got their crossbows ready, while Geoff got his baseball bat ready. Trent looks behind himself, then looks at the three friends he was with.

"Hey. Somebody's got to watch out for whoever this psycho is." Trent said to the three of his friends. "It might sound like I'm being a coward, but trust me...I am going to try to keep my eyes out for this guy out on the front step so that you guys are safe." Gwen stared at her boyfriend, finding this idea, completely a bad idea. But before she could tell Trent to change his mind, Geoff was actually the one who ended up telling him that this wasn't reasonable an idea.

"Wait, are you serious? You could die out here, man!" Geoff said.

"I-I know. But if you guys shout for me, I'll make sure that I'll come to save you guys." Trent held up the baseball bat he had in his hands. "Trust me guys. I already have something to protect myself with in case I am in any danger." Geoff then looks over to Gwen, unsure about this idea, just as much as she does, but then sighed, shaking his friends hand.

"Then good luck, man. I hope that you don't end up dying out here."

"I won't, man. Don't worry, man."

"Jesus...I swear, I'm going to just be sick if I hear you guys say 'man' one more time." Gwen said, rolling her eyes.

"Can we go into the house so that we can see if Alejandro is safe or dead?" Shawn asked, glaring at the three of the group who were standing outside of the house. Gwen and Geoff looked over to the man who knows a lot about zombie apocalypse. "So far, I am looking inside, and...the house doesn't look like it's been wrecked. Not by the looks of it."

"Well...if that's the case, then alright." Geoff said, nodding his head. "Be safe out here, Trent."

"I will, and Gwen..." Trent walks up to his girlfriend, kissing her on the lips. Trent backs off of her, then patted her on the arm. "Be safe in there." Gwen nods her head, as she backed up from him.

"I-I will, Trent. Be safe out here." Gwen said, before following into the house along with Geoff and Shawn, in hopes of trying to see if Alejandro was safe or not. Trent took a deep breath, before turning over to the direction of the street, keeping the baseball bat close to himself.


	32. Chapter 32

Inside Alejandro's house...

Shawn pulls out a flashlight out of his vest, as he shined the light around the interior of Alejandro's house. Looking around the living room, wondering if there's any sign of the killer right there in this part of the house. There was no sign of anyone moving around, except for themselves, obviously. However, by the looks of the lamps, it seems like they were the items that were broken around the floors.

Gwen and Geoff stepped into the house, looking around the living room as well. They looked at some of the broken lamps that were on the ground. Somebody was definitely here moments ago.

"It's a bad idea to go different ways, knowing this guy could be anywhere in this household." Shawn said. "We should stay together, just in case this guy is fast on their feet." Geoff and Gwen nodded their heads in agreement. Shawn led the two of them into the kitchen from nearby.

"Alejandro! Are you home?!" Geoff shouts.

"Dude, are you crazy?! If this guy knows we're here, they'd run out of here!"

"Sorry, didn't know they'd be butthurt that we're here. Also, Alejandro might actually be alone in this house instead of this guy being around. Don't you think?" Gwen looks over to Geoff.

"Alejandro would be in his house by himself, leaving his house to look like something out of a haunted house?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow at the party boy. Geoff shrugged his shoulders.

"It was...just a suggestion..." Geoff said, before looking forward. "Should we just go into the kitchen to see if Alejandro is there?"

"Already checked." Shawn shouts, before walking back into the living room. "Alejandro isn't in this room at all. So that leaves upstairs the last place we've haven't investigated yet."

"Then let's look up there than."

The three walked upstairs. There were about five doors that were in the upstairs hallway. One of which was...only a closet. It was the first room that the three of them almost ended up entering. So the closet was out of the way.

The three entered the other four rooms, wondering what's in each one. Two of them didn't really have anything that made them stand out, as they looked like nothing more but storage rooms for stuff Alejandro doesn't really need. One was Alejandro's bedroom. He wasn't in there, and the last one was just a bathroom.

Confused, the three wondered where Alejandro was even at inside his own house. But that was when Shawn found something at the end of the hallway. It was another note.

'_If you're wondering where Al is, he's out in the backyard. You might want to go check him out to see if he's okay or not, Gwen._' The note said.

Shawn looks over to Gwen. "You didn't say anything about this guy knowing you. What the hell is up with that?" Shawn asked the goth girl.

"I'm trying to figure that part out." Gwen said to Shawn. "I don't know how this guy even knows me, but...I'm trying to circle my head around, how this is even possible." Gwen rubs the sides of her forehead, before looking at Shawn again. "I'm being honest when I say that I am not in cahoots with whoever the hell is doing this, but if they are trying to say that I'm some sort of accomplice or what not, then they have another thing coming." Geoff steps forward.

"I think Gwen is telling the truth on this one." Geoff said. "Gwen might not have been to any of my parties because...well, she thinks my parties are nuts...but something that involves having Duncan and his friends being killed seems unlikely."

"Thanks Geoff." Gwen said.

"Your welcome. Now let's see where Al is."

The three walked downstairs, and into the backyard. There wasn't much in the backyard, aside from just a tree and a shed. Shawn walked over to the shed, keeping his crossbow in the ready as he approached the small wooden house that carried all of Alejandro's tool. The man opens the door, only to scream in horror at the sight of what he was seeing inside the building.

"Oh God..." Shawn said, covering his own mouth. "I can't believe it...I really can't believe it..."

"Shawn, what do you see?!" Geoff shouts, running up to the man.

The other two ran up to the shed, looking inside to see what Shawn was seeing. Inside the shed, there the three of them saw, Alejandro had the same type of pole through his chest. His death was like Lightning's death, but it looked it he was attacked beforehand, due to there being bruises on his face and arms. The three of them stood there in complete shock, before Gwen noticed another note, stuck through the pole as well. She took it out, reading it to herself.

'_Too late to save Al. Duncan is all I have left._' The note said.

Outside the shed, Gwen heard the sound of Trent screaming out from in front of the house. The three were scared, hearing him scream from the front yard, that they went to see what had happened to him.

However, when they arrived, the three saw right there, that there was the psycho doing all of this. The person turns around, noticing that Gwen, Geoff, and Shawn were standing right there, staring at them with utter shock. All the while, the psycho has already beaten Trent to the ground, leaving him in a bruised, with many cuts and bruises all over him. Trent was breathing heavily, as Gwen tearfully pulled up here crossbow in an attempt at avenging her boyfriend.

The psycho moves out of the way in time, then ran off to go onto the sidewalk. Shawn attempted to send arrows at the figure, while Gwen and Geoff went to Trent's aid.

"Oh crap, oh crap...Trent, anyone but you." Gwen said, tears strolling down her face, shocked to see her boyfriend had been attacked, and on the verge of death.

"G-Gwen..." Trent said, coughing in pain. "I-I tried to fight him off...but he was too strong for me..." Trent held onto his own stomach, before looking at his girlfriend with tears in his eyes. "...I failed to save you..."

"Trent...you didn't..." Gwen wipes tears for her eyes, as she kept herself together. "You can still make it though..."

"Gwen, you got to leave me behind...it's too late for me..."

"What?! To hell are we abandoning you out here, dude!" Geoff shouts. "I'm calling an ambulance, right now!"

"No, Geoff...don't..." Trent said, trying to reach for the partier. "Besides...I'll just...be the reason Gwen is behind bars, with the cops not wanting her...to play hero out here..." Trent held Gwen by her hand, looking at her in her eyes. "P-Please just...do this for m-me, Gwen. I l-love you..."

Wiping another tear from her eye, Gwen stood up from the ground. Trent closes his eyes. "I love you too, Trent..." Gwen said through tears.

Seeing that Trent was gone, Gwen broke into tears, turning to Geoff, who hugged her to try to make her feel better. Geoff looks over to the sidewalk, seeing that Trent had just died. He covers his mouth, before shaking his head.

"Shit..." Shawn said to himself, before looking over to Geoff.

"I know man, I know..." Geoff said, silently.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Trent's dead?! Tell me this is a joke!" Noah shouts into the walkie-talkie.

Due to Gwen still crying, Geoff had to be the one to break the news to the other four who were helping them. Like the three, Noah, Cody, Emma, and Kitty were horrified from hearing that Trent died while trying to protect Gwen, Shawn, and Geoff. They were also pretty shocked that Alejandro was killed as well.

"I wish I was joking, dudes...but I'm not." Geoff said. "Me and my friends watched him get killed by our very eyes. Gwen is a complete mess now that she has to witness that. So she asked me to tell you guys this." Noah glares down to the ground, shaking his head. "Damn it...of course one of us ended up getting attacked while we try to get this psycho..." Cody looks down to the ground, shaking his head.

"Poor Gwen and Trent..." Cody said in a whisper.

Noah looks over to his girlfriend, feeling worried that she might end up in danger if this continues. He really didn't want her to end up like Trent. He closes his eyes, before speaking into the walkie-talkie once again.

"Look, where are you guys now? We're going to try to meet you guys back at Gwen's house." Noah said. "With everything going to shit tonight, I think it's only best we call it a night." A couple moments of silence went by, and then Geoff spoke again.

"I talked with Gwen. She said that she feels like we should head back to her house. Because now that her boyfriend is dead, she feels like she needs to be alone right now..." Geoff said.

"Oh, I get it." Noah nods his head. "Well, I'll probably still look out for this figure for Gwen."

"What?! You're doing this by yourself?!" Emma asked, worried that Noah is really doing this. "Noah, you could die if you're by yourself..."

"Emma, listen to me sweetie, alright?" Noah places a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "I caused Scott's death, and the last thing I need is for you, or your sister, or my own best friend to suffer the same death as Trent did." Noah looks behind himself, seeing that they were right near his house. "Look, sleep at my house tonight. All three of you, please. I'll handle this guy for Gwen, and the others. Considering that Trent just died, I don't want your guys suffering the same fate. Keep the doors locked, and if you see me running up to the front porch. Let me in." Cody nods his head.

"Are you sure you want to do this alone, dude? Because if this is seriously happened to Gwen, I want to do this for her too." Cody said. "No way in hell am I letting my former crush get destroyed like this, and those pricks gets away with what they did." Noah looks down, about to speak, only for Cody to speak up again. "Hold whatever you're about to say to yourself. Because I want to come help you out on this one. I'm doing this for Gwen, I'm doing this to be a better friend for her." Noah sighed, feeling like he'd be unable to argue with Cody on that one.

"Alright. We got each others backs on this one?"

"Totally. Until the end."

Cody and Noah bumped fists on that being agreed on. Noah looks at Emma, holding her hand. "I'm sorry I'm not bringing you along with me and Cody. I just want you and Kitty to be safe, and knowing what happened to Trent...it has me all concerned."

Emma looks down at her hand, holding Noah's hand, and then walked up to him, kissing him on the lips. The kiss lasted for about five seconds, before Emma stops, backing up from her boyfriend. The two slowly let go of each others hand, before looking at each other in their eyes.

"Be careful out there, sweetie." Emma said, softly.

"I will, Emma." Noah said, softly as well.

The group arrived at Noah's house. Emma and Kitty walked into the house, and agreed to not go upstairs, since Duncan was most likely asleep upstairs. Emma kisses Noah one more time, before the two boys finally walked back out of the house. Just as the rain was beginning to start, the two looked up, hearing the thunder in the sky. Noah then looks over to Cody one more time, then pulled out the bow and arrow that Emma handed over to him.

"You ready to kick this guy's ass once and for all Cody?" Noah asked him. Cody nods his head, keeping the baseball bat he was keeping by his side.

"You bet, Noah." Cody said. The two fist bumped on it, one more time, before heading out into the neighborhood to try to find this psycho.


	33. Chapter 33

In the town area of Leafton, Noah and Cody were arriving at the block where the town hall is located at. Noah and Cody were hiding behind a small wall that was near a coffee shop right across from the park. The two of them watched from the distance, as the police car with Izzy and MacArthur was driving around the block, trying to find this psycho.

"Izzy and MacArthur are still driving around?! But it's raining." Noah said, in a harsh whisper. Cody shrugs his shoulders, as he looked over to his best friend.

"I don't know. But I doubt we're going to be..." Cody said, before looking over to the direction of the town hall. "Oh shit...dude..." Cody points towards the town hall, causing Noah to look in that general location.

It was the person who has killed Duncan's friends. Duncan is the only one left, and Trent was killed when trying to defend Gwen, Geoff, and Shawn. What else could this person be doing right now? By the looks of it, all that the figure is doing is standing there, looking around, hanging out in a parking lot of a random store while it was closed.

Noah looks closer at the person, only to see that...from a distance...that there was another one of this guy. Noah's eyes widened at the sight of this from their spot. He then points at what was over there, looking over to Cody.

"Holy shit, dude. Do you see what I'm seeing right now?!" Noah asked, shocked. "This better be me seeing things because of the rain...but there's two of them?! How in the world is this possible?!" Cody stared at this sight too, before coming to the conclusion of something that felt amiss moments ago.

"Hold on a moment...I just realized something, dude..." Cody said, out loud. "Back there at the gas station, when me, you, Emma, and Kitty had the figure...when Gwen called us, it appeared that the killer got away from us a few minutes after we got word that Trent died." Noah raises an eyebrow as Cody continued. "The person who we saw back there...at the gas station, Alejandro's house is located at the other side of the neighborhood. He doesn't live where your house is. Sure, maybe...just maybe, he killed Alejandro before he or she came to us, but...by the looks of our town, and the moment Trent died...that would mean the person that we found when Emma had her bow and arrow focused on him...would probably take about thirty minutes to get to Alejandro's house. From the looks of the time on my watch, it only took ten minutes until the call about Trent being killed was received to us." Noah shook his head, looking down to the ground.

"Holy shit..." Noah mutters.

"I know..." Cody looked over to the two people who appeared to be talking to each other. "Not to mention, that would explain how you, Gwen, and Duncan didn't get attacked by the guy back when he...or she...was at Courtney's house, ready to go after her. Whoever it was who did that, must've either have been a complete coward, or...an idiot, really."

"How did I not see any of this before?" Noah looks over to Cody. "I don't think anyone's ever told you this, Cody...but damn, you're a genius." The boy nods his head, before looking out to the distance once more.

"So...now what? Is it safe to assume that Harold, Cameron, Sam, and the rest of their buddies are behind all of this? Because there's two of them now that we are seeing. Who knows if there's anymore of those guys around town." Noah held up his hands, as he turns over to Cody.

"Now hold on a minute, Cody...we can't jump to that conclusion just yet."

"I don't know who else it could be aside from Mike or Zoey. And they already confirmed to you that they had nothing to do with any of this." The brown-haired boy looks towards the parking lot again. "Unless they're lying, but I don't see that happening anytime soon."

The two looked out to the distance one more time, before noticing that the two figures out in the parking lot were now arguing about something. They could tell, because one of them was ready to punch the other one. One of them left the parking lot, heading off somewhere else to head off to, while the other one just stood there, heading the other direction.

"Did you hear them yell out anything?" Noah asked his best friend. Cody shook his head.

"I didn't hear anything." Cody said. "The rain was making it too hard to hear." Noah shook his head, annoyed.

"Damn it...of course they yell while it's raining as loudly as possible..." Noah then stood up out from behind the wall, looking down at Cody. "Well, it looks like me and you going after this guy...or, those guys will have to wait, if there's more of them, then going after them might actually be a terrible idea. I say we should head home so that we can try to get out of the rain already."

"What's a terrible idea?"

The two boys were startled when they heard the sound of Izzy's voice coming from right nearby them. Noah looks over to see that Izzy and MacArthur had their police car parked, right in front of them. Izzy had her head out the window, looking at the two boys, as MacArthur just stared at them from the driver seat. Noah and Cody kept the bats behind the wall so that the two don't end up realizing that they are out here trying to find the killer, or more than one of them anyway.

"What are you and Cody doing out here in the rain? Don't you know that you can get sick if you're out here for too long?" Izzy said. Noah held up his hands, as he walked up to the police car.

"I-It's alright. Me and Cody were...trying to get to our homes from...uh, AppleBees..." Noah said, clearly lying to the two of them. Izzy sat there, looking at Noah silently for a few seconds, before blinking a couple times.

"Jeez, guess the taxi cabs are not out tonight." Izzy then opens the back door of the police car for them so that they can get into it. "Come on. Me and MacArthur can bring you guys to your house. Where will it be, boys? Cody's house, or Noah's house?" Noah spoke up, getting into the back of the police car.

"Well...just my house. I actually have friends hanging out at my house already, and...we promised them we are about to go over there so that we can meet back up with my girlfriend, and his girlfriend."

"I'm not dating Kitty..." Cody said.

"Girlfriend or not, it's better than having them know that..." Noah looks at Izzy again. "...Just my house, please. Besides, it's been a hell of a night already." Izzy nods her head, as she turns on the radio.

"Then let's bring you guys home!" Izzy said, as she pointed out the window.

MacArthur started to drive the car off to Noah's house. Izzy turns up the radio up louder, allowing the song '_I Gotta Feeling_' by the Black Eyed Peas to blast out the speakers of the car as they were driving along the rainy streets. Noah and Cody stared at Izzy, raising eyebrows at her, until she looked behind herself to notice them looking at her.

"What? I like this song." Izzy said, before looking forward at the streets ahead.

'_Well...I'm lucky that my house is right nearby...so I don't have to be bothered by whatever else this girl would end up doing._' Noah said in his inner thoughts, as the police car is driving off to his house.

* * *

**Note: My deepest apologies for this chapter being rather shorter than the rest of the chapters. I have things to end up doing after this chapter is out, so I have to put this one out the way it is. The one is going to be longer, so don't worry too much about chapters being shorter. **


	34. Chapter 34

The very next morning...

"So, what you're telling me is that...you and Cody saw two killers out there?" Emma asked.

Noah was standing near the stove, baking pancakes for himself and his friends. Emma was helping him in the process as he was baking the food for Kitty and Cody, who were talking about the same exact thing in the living room. Noah places a couple pancakes down onto the plates, and then carried them over to the table so that he and his friends could eat.

"I'm telling the truth here, Emma...and I wish I was joking when I said that." Noah said. "Cody explained it to me, that it's the reason how Alejandro and Trent were killed, while we all saw the same killer at the gas station at the same time. There's no other reason rather there being two of them." Noah sat down, picking up a fork off of the table. "Honestly, I'm seriously now wondering how's guilty and who's innocent in this town, because the culprits could be anyone at this point."

"Any ideas yet?" Emma asked.

"Well...I still haven't talked to Harold, Cameron, Sam, and many of the other people that Duncan and his friends have bullied in the past...the only one being Mike, and me accusing him really upset Zoey, so I'm not trying him again."

"So now where do we go from here?"

"What else?" Noah asked, as Kitty and Cody entered the dining room. "We look for clues, and hope that we find out who these guys are, before they know where Duncan is." The boy sighed, as he looked over to his girlfriend. "I'm just happy to know that he didn't know where he was when all of us were sleeping here last night." The three nodded and agreed on that.

"It really sucks that Trent died trying to protect Gwen, Geoff, and Shawn..." Kitty said. "...He wasn't even apart of Duncan's group..."

"Which I can only assume he's after the town now..." Cody said. "It's either that, or he killed Trent because he was in the way."

"The last part sounds the most reasonable." Emma said, picking up her fork next. The girl then looks down at her food, rather forlorn at the consequences of Trent's death. She looks over to the group, a bit worried about one person in that situation. "Considering that Gwen and Trent have been together for a bit, how do you guys think she feels about all of this?" Cody looks down, feeling worried for his former crush.

"I...I don't know..." Cody said. "I tried texting her last night, but...she refused to answer my attempts at comforting her."

"Her boyfriend did end up dying during the process." Kitty said. "She's probably seriously upset about all of this."

Sitting there for a couple more seconds, Cody stood up from the table, before turning his head to his best friend. He didn't feel like leaving Gwen to cry about what she went through, so he felt like it would be best to try to comfort her. He steps away from his own chair, then spoke to Noah.

"Hey, dude...I hope you don't mind...but, I feel like I should really just go find Gwen and see how she's doing about all of this." Cody said. "I'll catch you later, okay man?" Noah nods his head.

"Alright, Cody. Tell Gwen that I'm sorry for her loss." Noah said.

"I will."

Cody heads out of the house, and headed off to go to Gwen's house. Noah, Emma, and Kitty remained sitting at the table. Once they heard the door close, Emma sighed, before looking down at her plate, still eating her breakfast. The three of them sat there silently at the table, not saying a word, feeling like whatever they say would be considered insensitive, either continuing the mystery or just trying to change the subject.

The three of them just hoped that Gwen was alright...

* * *

With Gwen now...

The goth laid there in her bed, still in her pajamas, staring at the wall. She almost didn't get any sort of sleep that night due to what ended up happening to Trent when they were at Alejandro's house. Gwen sighed, sadly, still staring at the posters on her wall, as she wasn't wanting to get up or do anything at the moment. She was too distraught to do anything.

That was until the sound of the door being knocked on was heard. Gwen stood up, and headed downstairs to see who was wanting to talk to her right now. If it was Detective McLean, she was just going to slam the door in his face, because she would outright hate being accused of something after what had happened.

Gwen opens the door, ready to yell if it really was Chris, only to see that it was Cody. The boy waved at her with a look of remorse on his face.

"Hey...Gwen...I've been...seeing if you were alright last night after...well, what happened last night..." Cody said. "Are you okay?" Gwen sighed, before looking down to the floor.

"No, I'm not alright...Trent's dead...if you haven't already...realized that..."

"Yeah...Geoff told us on the walkie-talkie when..." Cody shook his head, before changing his words on that one. "I...was texting you last night, seeing if you were alright, but...I was ignored. Maybe I shouldn't have came down here anyway, considering that I've been a bit of an ass in the past, but...I really wanted to see if you were alright."

"Considering that Trent's dead, I guess there's really no other choice, huh?" Cody stared at her silently, before the goth girl sighed. "I'm sorry...I'm never this bitter towards people, but who would be this angry that their own boyfriend got killed right before their eyes? I know I would."

"Well...despite our past, Gwen...I'm always here for you. Noah is here for you as well, just remember that." Gwen nods her head, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Thank you, Cody."

Cody nods his head, before he backs up from the porch, allowing Gwen to go back inside so that she can get herself ready for the day. Once the goth closed her door, Cody started to turn around, ready to head back to either Noah's house, or his own house. But just before Cody could go off to one of the houses he was planning on going to, he heard the sound of rustling in the nearby bushes.

The boy looks over to the bush that was right nearby, hearing the rustling coming from it. Only to see that there was nobody else, but Izzy, looking out from inside of the hedge that was near the next yard. She rolls out from the hedge, before standing up off of the ground.

"Hello Cody." Izzy said. "I heard you and Gwen were talking about something secret, were you?" The boy glared at the usually hyper girl, before berating her for butting into their conversation.

"I was comforting Gwen." Cody said, pretty annoyed at the hyperactive as she stood there smiling away. "We appreciate your help, but you are really starting to get on my nerves, also...you were helping MacArthur last night instead of us? You knew Gwen was in trouble with Detective McLean for trying to be the hero in this situation. Since you've been hanging out with MacArthur for so long, you probably would've known that by now." The girl narrows her eyes, before placing a police hat onto her own head.

"Do you want me to send you in? Because I do not like how you are talking to me?" Izzy then spoke more seriously now. "The only reason I was helping the police is that because I was actually becoming good friends with MacArthur, and she was beginning to trust me well enough to have on her and Chris's side when danger is afoot. Besides, from what Chris was telling me before, Jo might've had a chance to survive if Gwen and Noah weren't trying to act like heroes in the problem she was stuck in. Jo might've had a chance to live." Cody rolled his eyes, before pointing behind himself.

"Berate her all you want, but...Alejandro is dead, and so is Trent...her boyfriend..."

"Trent is dead?" Izzy asked, shocked.

"Yes. He is...he is found outside of Alejandro's house, and..." Cody didn't want to say what truly happened last night, since doing that might end up throwing Gwen, Noah, and everyone else under the bus if he were to do so. "...Trent told me that now that Gwen isn't allowed to save the neighborhood, because...Chris told her so...he told me that he was going out into the neighborhood so that he can finally satisfy Gwen's wishes. Sadly...he died in the process, and...so did Alejandro..." Izzy cringed hearing that being said.

"Damn, that really sucks. I mean, Alejandro was everything that a girl would want in a guy. I mean...a complete gentleman, neat hair, gorgeous eyes...too bad he's gone." Izzy takes off her police hat, placing it back into her pocket. "Well...I'm sorry if I jumped to a terrible conclusion while E-Scope was meant to try to take this job seriously. She must do a better job at trying to figure out who this guy is."

"Well...there's two of them, just so you know..."

"What?! What makes you think that?!"

"I-I just saw two figures out there, okay? Also, don't jump to the conclusion that it's Gwen and Noah just because they were there at the construction site when Jo died. They are not. I should know." Izzy cringed again, before turning away from the man.

"Jeez, fine...I won't assume it's either one of you guys then..."

Izzy mutters something, before throwing herself, rolling into the hedge again. Cody looks behind himself, one more time, before walking off to his own house, wanting to finally just go home and try to relax for one day.


	35. Chapter 35

Meanwhile...

Mayor Hatchet was told all about what has happened at Alejandro's house. He was told by MacArthur all about what has happened to both the guy who owns the house, and Trent. Detective McLean and Topher were also in the mayor's room, standing by the desk, as they were told the entire story of what she and Izzy witnessed at the house of the incident.

"So what you're telling me is that the last friend of Duncan is dead, and some other guy that Gwen is dating is now dead?" Mayor Hatchet asked, staring at the police woman across his desk.

"I'm afraid so." MacArthur said, nodding her head. "Me and Izzy found the body outside of Alejandro's house, and...when we arrived...it was just horrible. But then again, knowing everything that has happened in the past few days, I guess I will like it's really no surprise."

"I can't believe this bullshit..." Topher mutters, looking down to the floor, shaking his head in a stressful manner. "...How are we not getting an angry mob out here to finally go after this bastard? Because this guy already seemed to have killed somebody who's not somebody that Duncan has any friendship towards." Mayor Hatchet sat back down at his desk, rubbing a hand through his own hair, groaning at the fact that this is all coming at him.

"This is getting way too stressful to handle..." Mayor Hatchet mutters, before looking over to Chris. "Please help me out here, Chris...I feel like all of this is becoming too much for me, now that all of this is..."

"Mayor...listen...I know what you're going through. I get it." Chris said to the mayor. "But we got this under control."

Mayor Hatchet sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. He lowers his hand down his face, groaning in stress, before standing up from the chair he was sitting on, then turns his attention towards Chris, sighing to himself. He had a bad feeling, hearing the whole 'Everything is under control' thing being said to him. He had to be a little more strict about this.

"Detective McLean, look, I've been friends with you since...when? The eighties? Maybe nineties? We've met at the Dairy Queen that was across the daycare I've been working at, and I told you I was hoping to be the mayor, and you said that that would be a wonderful idea for me to do. So after somebody else came and took over my spot, I went off to the town hall, and was able to become mayor of this fine town." Mayor Hatchet places his hands together, placing them up to his mouth, and took a deep breath. "But...you seriously need to try to get this guy a little more sooner than later, because if so, all of this is going to bite us all in the ass, and either an angry mob will angrily attack the town hall, or...they will be angry at you, and have you removed from being in your detective job."

Chris looks down, a little worried when he heard that being said. He rubs the back of his neck, before looking up at the mayor again. "Then...you have my word. I promise you, that I will find this guy before Duncan, or another person is killed." Chris said, placing his hands in his pocket.

"Thank you, Detective McLean...I appreciate you trying a little harder this time." Mayor Hatchet said, before turning towards MacArthur again.

"You know, mayor...since Chris is here now, I guess it's only logical for me to go off with him so that...well...I can help him with this little mystery...if you really want me to, that is." Topher said to him, hoping to go with the detective instead of being with the mayor.

"Uh, Topher. The college told you to come work with me instead. Sorry, but rules are rules, and even you know that."

"Shit..." Topher than looks over to MacArthur. "Well, thank you for coming to tell us this, MacArthur."

"No problem, gentlemen. Now if you'll excuse me, me and Izzy have to get to some food at a random restaurant around here." MacArthur said, backing out of the town hall. Mayor Hatchet nods his head, as Chris followed MacArthur out to go his own way.

Outside, Chris watched from the steps, as MacArthur got into her own police car. Izzy was reading a book inside her car. MacArthur turns the sirens of the car on, before driving off to go somewhere else in the town. Chris shook his head as he made his way over to his own car that was parked a couple cars away from MacArthur's car.

'_I'm still surprised that Izzy joined along with MacArthur on this mystery. That girl is like, the last person I imagine helping out in a situation like this._' Chris said in his thoughts, as he got into his car. '_Now that I got confirmation that all four of Duncan's friends are dead...that's pretty harsh, but I didn't fail them yet, that is if that guy is still after them instead of the rest of the town. Mayor Hatchet isn't really too thrilled with the fact that Duncan's the only one left..._'

Driving through the neighborhood, Chris turns a corner, seeing Cody walking up to his own house, pulling keys out of his own pocket. Chris shook his head, as he faced the streets ahead of himself. But as he was driving, something complete came into his mind a couple seconds after he saw Cody walking on the streets. He slams his foot on the brakes, placing his own car into a complete halt.

'_Wait! I heard Gwen's name mentioned in that talk back at the town hall!_' Chris said in his thoughts, face turning clearly petrified.

* * *

With Gwen...

She was walking through the neighborhood, trying to clear her mind after what had happened to Trent. It was too hard for her to get him off of her mind, considering that he was just killed last night. Duncan was the only person left in the group that wasn't killed yet, and now she's really wanting vengeance now.

Walking through the neighborhood, Gwen continued to walk until she found Bridgette's house along the way. Knowing her own boyfriend was involved in the group trying to find the killer last night, Bridgette probably isn't too happy about that. Gwen took a deep breath, before walking up to the front door of the surfer girl's house, hoping she wasn't too furious about what had happened.

By the sound of Bridgette shouting for the person to come in, and that the door was unlocked. Walking inside the house, Gwen noticed that Bridgette was nowhere in the downstairs, so she went upstairs, where Bridgette was. Gwen walked up to the surfer girl's bedroom, seeing that she saw that Bridgette was busy on her laptop.

As Gwen knew right off the bat, Bridgette was not happy to see her. Gwen finally said something in hopes of lightening the mood. "You know, considering there's a killer out there, it's more safer to keep the door lock. You don't want to say that the door's unlocked right off the bat." Gwen said, trying to be casual with her. Bridgette closes her laptop, than stood up from the desk.

"More like...you know, you have some nerve coming to my house. After all I have heard about last night!" Bridgette said, sounding bitter. "I was going to let this go, but now that I'm hearing that Geoff was involved in you and your buddies going around the neighborhood trying to take down this guy! This is crossing a line that I really don't like, and you know it!" Gwen stood there silently, as Bridgette walked up to the goth, crossing her arms, still holding her glare on her. Gwen finally spoke up, as Bridgette stopped in front of her.

"I had a bad feeling you'd be furious with me after you heard about that. But you really don't understand the whole..."

"I understand everything! But the fact that you'd go and allow my boyfriend to be endangered like that, I am..." Bridgette slowly stopped her glare, before groaning in annoyance and anger, feeling like everything in her own life is falling completely apart right now. "...Jesus Christ, I just wish I can go through one day without having hear another problem that's going on in my life..." Bridgette slaps her own hand on her forehead, as she walked over to the window. Gwen frowns, before finally speaking.

"Look...I'm sorry that...Geoff was involved, but...you don't know the whole story, Bridgette. Because..." Gwen lowers her head, getting just as annoyed as the surfer was. However, Gwen managed to calm herself down, before she could be able to lose her mind with the blonde girl. "Look...if I can make it up to you, can I bring you to...Dairy Queen or something? Because I feel like it's the best that I can do...also...because I skipped breakfast."

Bridgette moves away from the window, taking a deep breath, before turning around to the goth behind her. "I...I guess...I think everyone in town's been pretty angry, or sad, or stressed lately...so I feel like it's only fair to hear your side of things..." Gwen nods.

"Thank you." The two girls walked out of the room, and headed off so that the two of them could get something to eat.


	36. Chapter 36

At the park...

"Is that really what happened?" Bridgette asked the goth girl. "Geoff asked you if he wanted more help?"

The two girls had recently gotten themselves food, and are now sitting at one of the picnic tables that were out in the park area. Gwen had an ice cream cone, while Bridgette was holding a pretzel, and a cup of soda. The two of them were sitting there, talking about what truly happened during the night that Trent and Alejandro, and where Geoff came into the mix.

"Pretty much, he joined along wanting to protect you." Gwen explains to the blonde surfer. "We never really asked him if he wanted to come or not, he just allowed himself to join along." Gwen sighed. "And between me and you, you...kind of got lucky with your boyfriend surviving the entire night, while mine..."

Bridgette stared at the goth with remorse in her eyes. She knew by Gwen not saying anything after that shows her that her boyfriend got killed during the process. Gwen tried to keep herself from tearing up at the fact that Trent was no longer with her, until she held it together. She took a deep breath, before finally being able to speak once again.

"I'm...sorry...I don't cry in front of my friends, you know?" Gwen said. "I like to be by myself if I want to cry about something..." Bridgette nods her head, before looking down to the table. "Can we talk about something else instead of relationship problems, please? I rather be talking about something else."

"Whatever you say, Gwen." Bridgette said. "Though...by the way that you were trying to use that crossbow, you know? I was wondering, if you even told me before, how did you learn how to use something like that?" Gwen looked at Bridgette, before she held up a hand. "Hold on, I...think the better question to ask is...how was life with you before...all of this bullshit ended up happening? I think that should make you a little bit happy, right?"

Gwen took a sip of her own soda, before nodding her head. "You know what? Maybe it will try to get my mind off of bad things right now."

"Alright. Go right ahead and tell me how life around here is like. Or...was like, anyway."

Gwen looks at the cup that was in her hands, before placing it down so that she can talk to the surfer girl. "Well...you wanna know a little something about the mayor? You know, Mayor Hatchet?" Bridgette asked the surfer, who nods after that was asked. "Here's the funny thing about him. Before he was even mayor, he use to work at a daycare that I use to go to, because my mom had work, and my dad had work." Gwen smiled, shaking her head at the thought of that. "Man, it seems like all of that is yesterday. It seems like troubles like this was so far away from me, you know?" Bridgette nods her head at that as well.

"I guess when we're younger, things don't seem like they will be our issues when we grow older."

"Agreed."

"Anything else?"

"Well...what I can tell you, when I left that place, my little brother was born." Gwen said, before looking off to the left. "I was still in middle school when my brother was...somewhere in elementary school...and...since my dad and my brother don't always hang out like father and son like most families would, my dad actually taught me how to do a couple things out in the woods." Gwen looks out to the distance, seeing the forest from their spot. "He brought me out into the forest in case I wanted to go out into the wilderness to try to find the next town, since I was actually planning on doing later on in my life, since one day, I wanted to go to Ottawa, or Minnesota, or...maybe Paris one of these days. He taught me how to use a bow and arrow, and how to use the First-Aid Kit. My dad was one of the rangers who usually are out in the forest, hoping that his son would one day grow up to get his job."

"Well that's nice."

"Yeah." Gwen sighed, before looking down at her food once again. "I...I really miss him, you know...my own dad. If he saw how the training he taught to me came to a situation like this...he'd probably say that I made him proud." Bridgette looked at Gwen, before lowering her food.

"Divorce?"

Gwen didn't say anything to Bridgette. It's not to be rude, nor did Gwen not want to talk about it. It's just that whenever Gwen told somebody about her father, she can't go a couple seconds into telling them the details without being close to tears herself. The silence was enough for Bridgette to allow herself to continue with questioning Gwen about that.

"Whatever happened to him, I'm sorry." Bridgette said to her new friend. "I'm pretty sure that your father was a very nice person."

"He...really was." Gwen said, before looking at Bridgette. "So...outside of the divorce that your parents are going through? How was...your life before that? Because that's...really all I know about you, that your parents are divorced, and that you've been...pretty miserable about it for awhile."

"Finally...somebody who wants to know about what happened before everything in my life went to hell..." Bridgette said, before looking at Gwen again. "I-I'm sorry, it's just that...I really want to forget about what happened between my mom and my dad that...I just want to move on without thinking about it again."

"I understand. Just...how was your life before that, and before you came here?"

"What I can tell you is this." Bridgette smiled fondly, before looking down at her drink. "I'm not so sure if I shown you before, but I actually am a surfer from one of the seaside towns of Canada."

Bridgette hands Gwen her phone. She shows her a photo on her phone that showed herself on the beach, holding a surfboard, near the ocean. Gwen looked up at Bridgette as she continued to talk.

"Me and my friends were pretty close back in my town." Bridgette said. "Throughout high school, and college, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life ever since I entered college. I mean...even my friends gave me a couple ideas before I went out of the college...and to this town." Bridgette giggles, before shaking her head. "Somebody in the school actually asked me if I was wanting to help them at the bakery that they are planning on working at, but...I am not much of a girl who works at the bakery."

"I guess not..."

"Well...a couple other ideas were given to me by my friends. I was said to work as a lifeguard, but I didn't think it would really fit for me. There was the fact that I should work at a vegan restaurant, like either a waitress, or a chef there...since I actually am a vegetarian myself, but...like I said before a couple moments ago, that I don't really know how to bake. I'm learning how to, but I don't know yet." Bridgette then frowned. "However...one idea, was something I was considering when I was coming here...only to change my mind. One asked me if I wanted to be a vet. You know, help out with animals, and be a doctor to them?" Bridgette looks down frowning.

"What made you change your mind?"

Bridgette sighed, before looking down shaking her head again. "Well...I had this one my mind for a bit, since...my dad actually had this job anyway." Bridgette confesses to the goth. "So...I had this idea while I was surfing with my friends, then I was going to go off home than tell my parents that my idea about what job I wanted to do. But then...when I returned home...I heard my parents arguing upstairs in their bedroom, and...then I heard that...my dad was dating one of his other workers...and he did this willingly..." The blonde girl sighed, a tear rolling down her eye. "My...my dad told me...multiple times, by...phone call, by text, and...even once tried to face me, and tried to tell me that it was all...just a mistake...but how can betrayal like that even be...considered a mistake? My dad cheated on my mother, and...he tried to brush it off like it's a mistake when...it really wasn't..."

"I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay..." The girl shook her head, before sighing again. "...Crazy how my parents decided to have this problem, near the time that all of this bullshit was happening in this town. What are the odds of that?" Gwen sighed, before looking at Bridgette.

"I'm sorry about your dad cheating on your mom, Bridgette. I really wish that there was a way that that could've worked out better in the past." The surfer sighed, before standing up from the table.

"Actually...I think I'm good with wanting to not hear what he had to say about the fact that he cheated on my own mother with one of his co-workers. Besides, my mom saw him kissing the worker at his workplace when she planned on surprising him for lunch that day."

* * *

The two girl began to walk off to the trash can, throwing their food out, before heading back over to the sidewalk again. But before the two of them went off to their houses, Gwen looks out to the woods. She looks over to Bridgette, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I think I should be trying to get ready for the night." Gwen said. Bridgette was confused by that being said. "Because...right now, may or may not be the last time you'll ever see me, Bridgette. Because later tonight, for what has happened to Trent, I'm finally going to stop that guy. Even if it kills me or not."

"You're going to finally put a stop to this guy?! Are you nuts?!" Bridgette asked her.

"You could say that. But I'm doing this to save Duncan." Gwen lowers her arm, before looking at Bridgette once more. "Look, I know it's crazy of me to say, considering that me and you have just became friends now, but somebody's got to do this. Even if it means that they end up killed in the process." The goth turns around, before Bridgette looks down to the sidewalk. The surfer than looks over to the goth one more time, before walking over to Gwen.

"Hey, you...really don't have to fight this alone, right? I thought Noah, Cody, and...whoever else is with you is going to help you out on this one."

"You were furious that I brought Geoff along with me to try to get this guy once. No way am I asking you to come along with me, if you're even going to ask that." Gwen faces forward, continuing to walk away from Bridgette. "Besides, knowing what happened to Trent, I really want him or her to be staring directly into my eyes when I finally have them...either arrested or ended for what they did."

The blonde girl cringed at the fact that Gwen was really planning that final part, if it really came to that. "Look, I don't mean to go against you on this one, but...you told me on the way to Dairy Queen that Chris told you to not be a hero when it came to this problem. You do know that once Chris hears that you've taken down this guy, you're most likely going to be in real trouble with him, right?" Gwen looks forward, giving one more deep sigh, before walking off.

"I know...but it's a chance that I'm going to have to take."

"Good luck then."

"I will. I sure hope so..." Gwen walked off home to get her bow and arrow, as Bridgette walked back off to her own house, completely worried for her new friend to be in danger of this whole ordeal. She really hoped that Gwen turns out alright in this.


	37. Chapter 37

Meanwhile...

Noah was sitting at the library, looking at a couple books to himself. He was still confused by all that was going on around town, as he was trying to put together who was the guys who are going all of this. He just wish that whoever these two guys are, they would just turn themselves in. It's something that's going to be flat out impossible for Noah to wish for, but for him, it's better for him than trying to figure out who these guys are. This is becoming stressful and confusing for him.

The boy stood there at one of the bookshelves, reading a random book off of the shelf. But as he places the book back onto the shelf he got it from, the book fell out of the shelf. Noah walked over to the end of the bookshelf, glaring behind the shelf, only to see Topher standing behind the bookshelf, getting his attention.

"Wow, real mature of you..." Noah said, staring at the boy in front of him. "You mind telling me what you want instead of going the whole childish knock down the book off the shelf bullshit?" Topher nods, walking up to the shorter boy.

"Of course. I must say sorry for not approaching you, this library gets pretty butthurt if you dare talk." Topher said. "I was here to ask you if you found this guy yet?"

"No. We haven't."

"Well, neither has Chris."

"Yeah. Also...this is going to sound completely insane, but there are apparently two culprits out there in the town." Topher looked at Noah as if what was said was ridiculous.

"You're kidding? Do you have proof of this?" Noah raises a finger, only to lower it, realizing that he didn't get a picture of the two before he went back home.

"Damn it...should've done that before I left with Izzy..." The boy looked at the Mayor's assistant again, before holding his hands up. "I know I sound like I'm making shit up, but I'm telling you the truth. I wouldn't believe myself if I was told this myself, but there's two guys, probably more out there. Me and Cody saw it with our own eyes."

"Cody's not here to back you up on this one, pal."

"Well...it's true." Noah looks down, then back up at Topher. "Look, just...why are you looking for me? I am...tired, and...just...I'm trying to get to the bottom of all of this, so...what? Does Chris need me for something?"

"No. But Mayor Hatchet is getting seriously stressed out with the...I mean, these guys going after Duncan and his friends. Who's left now? Duncan?" Noah nods his head. "Crap, all of this happened so fast."

"Tell me about it..." Noah glared at Topher again. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well..." Topher pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket. "Mayor Hatchet found this on his desk after we left the town hall last night."

Topher pulls out a piece of paper that Mayor Hatchet and him found inside the town hall. It was another note, similar to the ones that him, Gwen, and Chris have been finding all over the town. Noah read the note himself, silently.

'_I know you and Chris are keeping Duncan safe somewhere in this town. Try to keep him safe all you want, but I will find him. If you guys were smart, I'd say surrender him right now. If not, I'll just have to do things the hard way. If you do allow me to end him, then I'll leave you guys alone for good. I believe you guys will have the right thing done by tonight._' The note said.

"Yeah. It seems like whoever these two guys are, they want Duncan like, right now." Topher said. "Because by the sound of THIS note, right here. It seems whoever this is, finally got impatient with us, including you." Noah hands the note back to Topher, before being curious about something.

"Does Chris know about this?" Noah asked.

"Not yet. But considering that...well, you are his new buddy in this whole ordeal...I don't think I have any other choice but to show you first." Topher places the note back into his pocket. "Any ideas who these psychos even are?"

"No..." Topher glared at him when that was said, only to hear the next thing said. "But Harold, Cameron, Sam, Ellody, those four come to mind at the moment. For now. But I doubt any of them are from New York, considering that all of them have been living here since...Gwen found both a cap and a jacket from the same state."

"Maybe it's only there to throw you guys off. Or maybe it's just a coincidence."

"Who knows, really." Noah then looks at Topher. "Anyways...Duncan now...um...are we sure that is bringing him into the town hall and letting him die is such a good idea?"

"Look, let me make one thing clear...me and Mayor Hatchet have a plan. Whatever happens, find Duncan, tell him to come down to the town hall for us. There, me, Mayor Hatchet, and Chris will handle the guy...guys, from there." Topher shook his head. "Sorry, the fact that there's now two is going to be hard to get use to now." Topher than turns around away from Noah. "Remember, find and tell Duncan to come down to our town hall tonight. Alright?"

"I will."

"Alright...be careful out there, alright?"

"Alright." Noah walks off, as Topher stayed behind, looking at a couple more books.

* * *

With Gwen again...

The girl was in the forest, near the rangers station, practicing with her crossbow. The song '_Believer_' by Imagine Dragons was playing on the radio, as Gwen has boards with targets painted on them around the spot she was at. She kept her crossbow in her grip, as she glared at the boards around her.

Standing there, with her glare on her face, Gwen places an arrow into her crossbow. She remembered the words her father was telling her when she was a kid, as she focused her bow on one of the boards.

'_Using this item is real easy Gwen. All you have to have is some focus. Close one eye, then send the arrow into the tree over there._' Gwen's fathers words said in her head. Gwen glared at the target behind herself, sending her arrow into the board.

'_Daddy, what is the bears or wolves are moving? What do I do?_' A younger Gwen said in the older goths head. Gwen places another arrow into her bow. Then looked at a target that was falling from the balcony of the station.

'_Don't think twice. Just fire the arrow. Not a second early, or a second too late._' Gwen's dad's voice said again, in her mind. Gwen sends an arrow into the falling board, breaking it in the process.

'_This seems pretty easy, dad. I think I got the hang of this._' Younger Gwen said in her mind. '_Do you think I can handle this stuff when I am older?_' Gwen remembered the words her father in the end that she remembers the most.

'_Maybe one of these days, Gwen. I'm sure when you're out camping, or when you want to see the world. I'm sure of it._' Gwen's father said in her mind again.

After remembering those words in her head, Gwen fell to her knees. She lifted the crossbow one more time, sending an arrow into one more target. Not even looking at it in the process. The ranger who was working inside the station at the moment, came out of it, noticing Gwen outside of the station. He turns the radio off, then walks up to Gwen.

"Gwen, I believe that you're ready to go out there." The ranger said. The one with brown flat hair, and a green jacket. He had a dark blue hat, and a tree on his shirt.

"Thanks Don." Gwen said, standing up.

"I swear...I feel bad for what happened to your father, but let me tell you, if he were here right now. He would tell you that you made him proud." Gwen looks at the crossbow in her hands.

"Thank you." Gwen then looks at him in his eyes. "Now...if you will excuse me...I got to get to town now...I have to finally get something done, and I am doing it, well...alone." Don nods his head, before looking away from the goth.

"Alright." Don bows his hat, before turning away from Gwen. "It was wonderful seeing you again." Gwen nods her head, placing her crossbow back into her backpack.

"It's been a pleasure seeing you again as well Don."

Don smiled, bowing his hat again, before walking back into the ranger station. Gwen then turns around, beginning to walk back into town. She glared down the street, ready to finally stop the man or woman who is behind all of this.

'_Let's finally do this._' Gwen said in her head, walking down the forest road, back to town.

* * *

Back with Noah...

The boy went back to his house to tell Duncan about what will be happening later tonight. He knew Duncan was still furious with him after all that has happened, but hoped that he would just listen, in hopes of things being reasoned out.

He arrived at his house, walking up to the door. He entered his house, wondering where Duncan is at the moment, before looking up at the ceiling. He knew Duncan was upstairs, since he didn't see the punk anywhere downstairs, so he assumed he was up in one of the other rooms or something. Noah went upstairs to find the punk.

"Duncan, where are you?" Noah asked, finally making it up to the upstairs area of his house.

"What do you want, twerp?" Duncan asked the scrawny boy.

"I believe that all I have to say is one thing."

Duncan appeared to be concerned by that being said to him. "What is it?" Duncan asked the boy in front of him. Noah looks behind himself, before looking at the punk.

"It's...time..." Noah said slowly.

Still confused by the boys words, Duncan's concerned look went into a frown. "Time for what? For you to get a watch or something?" Noah slaps his own forehead, before groaning. The scrawny boy than spoke.

"That's not what I was going to...you know what?" Noah points over to the stairs, glaring at Duncan as he stood there. "Why not both of us go off to the town hall? Because Mayor Hatchet, Chris, and Topher all want you to go to the town hall so that they can keep you safe there." Noah held up his hands, backing up towards the stairs behind him, before pointing down the stairs. "You got to believe me when I say that Topher told me this stuff at the library earlier this afternoon. So...look, I know that you can say that I'm making shit up, but I'm not."

"And why should I believe you? You got Scott killed."

"But did I try to get everyone else who's friends with you killed?! Me, Emma, and Jo saw Lightning get that pole stuck inside him out of nowhere, none of us could've stopped that..." The boy held out a finger, before holding out another. "Then there's Jo, who I tried to save, along with Gwen at the construction site. Then...Alejandro, where...none of us could've done anything, since we were trying to get this guy before he gets to you, Courtney, or Alejandro. You might seem completely ungrateful of the fact that I did all of this, which basically is me redeeming myself to you..." Noah stops before walking over to the stairs. "...Look, forgiven or not, I'm going to have to trust Mayor Hatchet, Chris, and Topher with our lives right now. You might never forgive me for not helping Scott, but at least I'm trying to keep you alive. Anyway..." The boy steps down a couple steps, before looking at the punk one more time. "Let's go. We got to go to the town hall now." Duncan nods his head, silently agreeing.

"Fine. If I can really trust those guys at the town hall."

"They probably know what they are doing, Duncan. Now let's go." With all that said and done, Duncan followed Noah down the stairs and followed him along to the town hall.


	38. Chapter 38

In the town...

Cody was looking up at the sky, seeing that the clouds were forming in the sky. It seems like there is going to be another rainy night once again. It seems like the town is getting a lot more rainy days nowadays this month, by the looks of the past few days. Not that that was a bad thing, or even something he should even be focusing on, but he just took notice of it.

The boy walked through the streets, trying to get to his own house. He had nothing on his mind all too much, until he heard the sound of a car following behind him. He turns around, noticing that Detective McLean was following him in his car. Cody stops, before Chris pulled up closer to the boy, rolling down his window as he approached him.

"May I ask why you're following me, Chris?" Cody asked the Detective.

"I was just following because you're pretty close to that Gwen girl. You know, the only was almost arrested?" Chris asked him. "Yeah. She around? Because I am wanting to talk to her due to the fact that she is needed to help me track this psycho down."

"Now you need her?"

"I know it sounds like I'm asking for her a little too late now. But Mayor Hatchet is a bit peeved and anxious if you haven't noticed." Cody walks up to the window, leaning on the side of the door. "Despite all of that, and despite me wishing I could just do this on my own, I felt like it would be better for Mayor Hatchet, as well as the town, and for my own defense since I can't fight all that much...I think I need some help."

"Now that everything is going straight to shit, now you need our help?"

"Maybe..."

"I'm guessing once we're all done, Gwen's going behind bars along with this culprit because she helped anyway? I believe that's just going to happen when we're all done with this shit?" Chris glared at Cody, holding up a finger to the younger male.

"Hey, I didn't come this far into the mystery for sarcasm, pal...if I were you, I'd drop that tone of voice you're using and help out." Chris stared forward, before starting his car back up. "After all, I am pretty much changing my mind on the fact of having Gwen in jail for helping us, and allowing it. So be grateful I'm doing that much for her, and you, and Noah, and Duncan." Chris then drops his glare, staring at Cody again. "By the way, is your friend going to be bringing Duncan to the town hall later tonight? Because tonight, Mayor Hatchet wants to keep him there so that he can be safe." Cody shrugged his shoulders, standing back up.

"Beats me. You're gonna have to find Noah yourself on this one." Chris rolled his eyes. "Also, what makes you think that Noah is the one doing it?"

"Oh, Topher actually said he was going tell Noah to go do it. He didn't want to go face Duncan again after what happened last time." Cody raises an eyebrow, wondering what that meant.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Topher actually doesn't really like Duncan, you see." Chris started off saying. "Back in high school, the guy and him had so much beef in the past, during both middle school, and apart of high school." Cody raises an eyebrow again.

"What do you mean?"

"What? Is all of this really requiring that question? I already said that Topher and Duncan had beef in the past, according to Chef. All I know is that part of the time, Topher went off to a different school."

Trying to connect the dots on this whole ordeal, Cody stared at the car with pure terror in his eyes. As Gwen told him from the notes that she discovered around town, apparently, whoever this was left town because of an unknown reason, most likely because of Duncan bullying him. But was Topher really the one who was writing those notes, or is this nothing more but a misunderstanding. Topher doesn't even seem like the kind of person to be out there, killing people out of revenge.

Cody kept this to himself, as he said his next words. "Thanks for telling me." Cody said. "So...tonight, go straight to the town hall?"

"You bet." Chris said.

Chris starts his car, and then drove off to go to back to the police station. Cody stood there for a couple more seconds, before wondering if Topher had some sort of involvement in all of what is going on. He hoped not, because if that's the case, Chris and Mayor McLean surely don't know about him doing any of this, and when they find out, they are going to feel betrayed.

Cody doesn't one hundred percent know what Topher's motivation is to do all of this, aside from the fact that he was apparently bullied by Duncan and his buddies for some reason. If he was going to confront Topher about this, it'll have to be while he, Noah, and Chris are at the town hall. Hopefully, Gwen will be there as well, considering that she has a crossbow, in case things go awry for the three men. That is, if she shows up.

* * *

With Bridgette now...

The surfer girl was walking back to her house after she went off to work. Her shift finally ended, and she just wanted to get home already so that she didn't have to worry about all of this craziness that's happening around town. She personally just hoped that Gwen and her friends survive the night, especially if the goth girl was just going to go out and try to finally put an end to this psycho around here.

Speaking of that...

Bridgette stopped in her tracks, noticing the figure was standing by the back of the town hall, while nobody else was in the area she was in. The figure was watching Mayor Hatchet talking to somebody in the office area of the interior of the building.

Bridgette gasped in horror, seeing the figure once again, dropping her backpack upon seeing them. The figure looked behind themself, seeing Bridgette was looking at them at the window. The surfer has no other choice but to run away from the guy. So she did.

She ran immediately across the street, heading straight to the alleyway, in hopes of getting into the downtown area of Leafton. But before she could get across the alley, Bridgette stopped, seeing the other figure walking into her view. The surfer turns around noticing that there were now two psychos here now.

"T-This can't be real!" Bridgette said in a panic.

Neither of the figures said nothing in response of what Bridgette just said. The surfer looked across both sides of the alleyway, completely defenseless. Seeing no other choice, Bridgette attempted to scream for somebody.

"HELP! SOMEONE!" Bridgette screams, hoping somebody hears her.

Before Bridgette could scream for help some more, one of the two figures knocks her out with a baseball bat that they were carrying. The surfer fell to the ground after she was hit in the head, passed out.

The two figures looked at each other, wondering what to do next. Neither of them knew the girl, so they chose not to do the obvious choice, like she was one of Duncan's friends. The one figure Noah saw first had a different idea, that might make Mayor Hatchet a little willing to throw Duncan under the bus.

* * *

Meanwhile...

With Gwen...

The goth girl was setting things up for the night now that she has returned home. She placed the coat she had on for the past few nights, making sure that she was ready to go. She picks up the crossbow off of the dresser she placed it on, giving it a good look for a couple seconds. She already got arrows for it. So she was all set for the night.

She then heard a knock downstairs. She looked out the window of her bedroom, making sure that it wasn't Chris. Thankfully, it was Cody. The goth opens the window, poking her head out of it.

"Come in!" Gwen shouts from upstairs. "The door is unlocked!"

Cody walks into the house, allowing himself in. He walked up the stairs, heading over to Gwen's bedroom. Gwen was placing what she's got into her backpack, just as Cody entered the bedroom.

"Cody, you're finally here." Gwen said, before placing her backpack on.

"I know. You seem like you're going to be ready for this killer to finally get stopped. Huh?" Cody asked. Gwen nods her head. "Well, I need to tell you something Gwen, before you end up going into town to try to get rid of this guy."

"Alright. Say it."

"Well, Chris came to me when I was walking down the sidewalk. I was just minding my business, until he told me to tell Noah to bring Duncan to the town hall so that Mayor Hatchet could keep him safe. I know what it sounds, but even I would say it seems like a pretty dumb plan." Cody walks over to Gwen's bed, sitting down on it. "That's not what I am getting at at all of this, but...I feel like I have a bit of a theory of who we could be dealing with, or who was the person who was doing all of this in the first place." Gwen raises an eyebrow, as Cody said the last part. "I just want to say once more...apparently, there's two killers out there now."

"Seriously? Cody, is this a joke?"

"I'm afraid that it's not a joke." Cody points at himself. "Just to prove my point, I need to ask you, if there's only one killer in this situation, then how did me, Noah, Emma, and Kitty confronted the killer at the gas station, while he apparently had Alejandro and Trent killed? Because I remembered that the abandoned gas station was about...a lot more blocks away from Alejandro's house than one would think." Cody points over to the window. "Granted, the guy ran away when MacArthur's police car was heard. But still, where he lives, it's too far away for him to get to his house." Gwen walks over to the wall, before placing a hand on the wall, then looks behind her shoulder, looking at Cody again.

"I guess that makes sense..." Gwen threw her arm down, glaring to the floor. "Damn it..." Gwen then looks at Cody again. "So...if Topher is...possibly one of the two, then who's the other one? Who is he in cahoots with?" Cody stood up from Gwen's bed, then walked over to the goth.

"I'm not sure who the other one is. I doubt it's Harold, Cameron, or Sam, since...from what I can see from this guy...he or she doesn't even appear to be any of them..." Cody looks over to the goth, before she walked over to the door. "Look, I don't know what the plan is, but what do you think? Should we go and try to confront Topher about all of this?"

"Chris and Mayor Hatchet would never believe it's Topher."

"Well...we got to go do something about this. If it is him. Noah is going to bring Duncan to the town hall any moment now." Cody looks at the baseball bat that's leaning on the wall. "I'm starting to get worried."

"Now that there are two people going around attacking Duncan's friends, I'm feeling worried as hell too..." The goth girl picks up the baseball bat, handing it over to Cody, before patting him on the shoulder. "Look, if Noah is bringing Duncan to the town hall, then...I feel like we should get ready to try to protect everyone in that building if he were to attack Duncan right then and there. Promise me that you'll help me out?" Cody nods his head.

"I will...but can you promise me one more thing, Gwen?" The goth was confused by what he was wanting from her. "...Can you promise me that...you won't die out of all of this? You're good friends with Duncan, and...I honestly don't want you to die." Gwen blinked twice, before speaking.

"Is...this because you want to date me? Or is this genuine?"

"I didn't want to say that first part...besides, you're still hurting, I think..." Cody shook her head, before sighing. "...I just really don't want you to die, Gwen. I really don't...besides, you said it yourself, you did say that you appreciate our friendship even if it...didn't really seem like we were friends in the past...but I really want to be better friends after all of this passes by us."

The goth girl sighed softly, before nodding her head. "Then I promise I'll survive along with you." Cody nods his head, before picking up the baseball bat. "Let's just hope that both of us survive the night then."

"Agreed." The two headed off, heading off to make sure Duncan doesn't end up dying throughout all of this.

* * *

With the two figures again...

The two of them had Bridgette tied up on a chair, and placed in a bedroom. Bridgette woke up, looking around the bedroom, seeing that it had no pictures of who it was who owns the bedroom, nor did it have any items that made it obvious who it is doing all of this. The only furniture in this bedroom was just a bed, a dresser, a closet, a desk, and a bulletin board on the wall.

The bulletin board had photos of the people who were from Noah and Cody's college. But by the looks of the photos, about a couple of them had a marker crossing out the people who've been killed in the passed few days. Scott, Lightning, Jo, and Alejandro were crossed out in some of the photos, but then there was a photo of Duncan that had a red marker circled around him. Bridgette was horrified at what she was seeing.

She looks down at her legs were tied to the chair, and her hands were tied behind her back. However, her mouth and eyes were free, so that was good, somewhat. She realized that her phone wasn't in her pocket, as she would usually feel her phone in her pocket whenever she brought it along with her wherever she went. The surfer girl looks over to the desk, then the bed, but her phone appeared to not be in this bedroom at all. It seems like there's no sign that she was going to have to call her friends.

The surfer girl attempted to scoot her way over to the window, in hopes of trying to find help outside. Once she was finally near the window, she looks over to the door one more time, before looking back to the window, hoping somebody was out there.

"SOMEBODY HELP! I'M TRAPPED UP HERE!" Bridgette screams. "HELP!" Nobody could hear her.


	39. Chapter 39

Meanwhile...

Unaware of where her boyfriend is at the moment, Courtney stared out her window, feeling concern for Duncan. Doesn't help that when she was attempting to call both him, and Noah, are not answering their phones. Now knowing that, Courtney was even more worried for her friend and her boyfriend. She just hoped that they were okay.

Sitting there in her house, her parents were off at work, while she was watching over the house. Trying to keep herself together, Courtney paced around the living room, while watching TV to herself. Sometimes, pacing just calms the girl down whenever intense situations like this happens to her. She walked from the window to the kitchen over and over, until she stopped herself near the couch. She felt like she did enough, before the sound of her phone going off was heard in the dining room. She had to see if it was Noah or Duncan.

She walked over to the table in her dining room, picking up her phone, seeing that it was Noah. She sighed in relief as she took the phone, and spoke to her friend on the phone.

"Oh, Noah...thank God, you're calling me right now." Courtney said, smiling. "How are you right now?"

"I'm actually heading off to the town hall right now, Courtney." Noah told his former crush. "What's going on? Are you in danger?"

"No, I'm actually pretty fine. I was just...worried about you and Duncan, and thought you guys were captured. Or worse..." Courtney cringes, thinking about that, before keeping herself from thinking that a bad thing is going to happen tonight. "...So, why exactly is Mayor Hatchet wanting Duncan over there anyway? It seems like Duncan is a lot more safer at your house."

"I was told by Topher to bring him down to the town hall because the mayor wants to talk to him."

"Topher?"

"Mayor Hatchets assistant. I guess he was a student at the college or something. He really doesn't seem all cool a guy, really."

"Rather harsh thing to say, Noah. But are you sure that Duncan will be safe over there at the town hall? All of this seems like it's a bad idea."

"Courtney. I usually listen to you, but I'm trusting Mayor Hatchet and Detective McLean with my life at this point." Courtney looks over to her backyard, walking up to the window. "I'm sure that they have a plan when it comes to keeping Duncan safe."

"I sure hope so."

Before Courtney could continue the phone call any further, she heard what sounded like something metal hitting the floor in her garage. The girl was confused by what the noise was. She turns back to the table, before ending the phone call.

"Noah, I think I'm going to end the call now." Courtney said. "I'll come by as soon as I can."

"Okay, Courtney." Noah said.

The call ended. The girl looked over to her downstairs hallway, before picking up a baseball bat that was leaning on the kitchen wall. She approaches the garage door, swinging the door open, and looking inside.

Inside the garage, there really wasn't anyone inside of it. Which Courtney felt like was going to be the case. She turned the light off, only to hear the sound of something else falling upstairs.

"Oh...come...on..." Courtney mutters, before storming over to the stairs, then headed up them.

Upstairs, Courtney walked over to the room that had the sound coming from it. She grabs a hold of the doorknob, swinging the door open. But inside, there was nobody as well. Courtney poked her head into the room, looking around, making sure that there was nobody in this room either.

She took a few steps inside, only to hear the door slam behind her. The girl turns around, eyes widened in fear, seeing one of the two figures have trapped her in this room. Courtney dropped the bat she was holding, nearly screaming, only for the figure to charge straight at her. Courtney ran straight for the window, only to be grabbed by the shoulder, then thrown to the ground. Courtney passed out from the fall.

The figure's plan was coming together quiet perfectly now. All they need to do now is to bring Courtney and Bridgette to the town hall so that the main plan can finally begin.

* * *

With Noah and Duncan...

The two boys finally arrived at the town hall, where it was finally about to rain. The two boys looked up at the sky, seeing the raindrops beginning to fall from the sky, and hitting the ground, and their own heads. Duncan held an arm over his eyes, looking up at the sky, before looking at Noah with a glare.

"Can we get inside before we end up getting wet from the rain?" Duncan asked. "The last thing I need is to get sick." Noah nods his head.

"Whatever, let's just go in." Noah said, rolling his eyes, as the two of them walked up the steps.

The two boys walked into the building, heading inside the town hall so that they can get all of this over with. Noah actually saw Chris's car parked outside of the town hall as well, so he already knew the detective was here already. So this is probably going to be some sort of argument that's going to be happening in here, or something else.

Inside the mayor's office, Noah saw everyone there. Mayor Hatchet, Topher, Chris, MacArthur, and Izzy all standing around talking to each other, unaware that Noah and Duncan are now both inside the office. It wasn't until Noah closes the door, alerting everyone to them being here. The five looked over to the two boys who came into the office, as Mayor Hatchet stood up from his desk.

"Noah, I see you finally have brought Duncan here for his own safety." Mayor Hatchet said.

"Well, yeah." Duncan said.

"I'm actually pretty grateful that you were bringing Duncan into this town hall for safety." Noah said. "At my house, he was doing nothing but hogging the couch to himself, and destroying the guest room that was upstairs for my house." Noah rolled his eyes when he said that. "The more he stayed, the more pissed my parents would end up being when they get back to town after their wedding anniversary in Ottawa. Not that they were happy when they left in the first place."

"Well, we're glad that you guys came." Topher said, stepping out from behind the desk with his hands behind his back. "Besides, I was the one who said 'yes' to the idea that Mayor Hatchet wanted Duncan safe here. Granted, he was a bit of a dick in the past...but it's better for him to be safe here than him being killed by that guy." Mayor Hatchet nods his head, before looking at Noah and Duncan again. "Anyways, the plan that Mayor Hatchet and Detective McLean have decided on was that Chris, MacArthur, and Izzy were to go out there to find this guy on their own. Mayor Hatchet..." Topher appeared confused by what he was going to do. "...Uh, Mayor Hatchet, what exactly is going to be your part of this plan? You never said anything to me about what you were going to do."

"My plan is to try to go to one of the stores, and find something that I can use to defend myself. Whatever weapon is in the stores nearby that could help out in this situation." Mayor Hatchet said, before Chris looks over to the mayor.

"Hold on there, Rambo. No need for us to lose the mayor of this town to a psycho." Chris said, holding up one hand in defense. "If anything, me, MacArthur, and Izzy will scout out this section of the town to try to find this guy ourselves. Mayor Hatchet, just for your own safety, I bet you should stay in the basement of this town hall or something."

"Actually. He should stay up here in his office. The killer probably would find himself...or herself in the basement. There is a window by the side of the place near the ground...so...that's pretty much a huge reason why none of us should really go down there." Topher said, finding the basement a bad idea. "Mayor Hatchet, it's only best to stay up here so you don't end up getting killed yourself. I'll go out of the town hall so that you don't end up getting yourself killed. I'll buy the bow and arrow, or sword, or...whatever that's in the store area nearby." Mayor Hatchet nods his head.

"If you really say so, Topher." Mayor Hatchet said. "I'll be safer up here than out there." Chris nods his head.

"That sounds like a more...profound idea." Chris said. "Alright. Me, MacArthur, and Izzy are off now. We'll be back if we survive out there."

"See you later guys." Izzy said, waving a hand, as she MacArthur, and Chris left the mayor's office. Once they left, Noah looks over to Topher, who was walking passed him.

"Are you sure you're going to be safe out there?" Noah asked him. "You don't appear to be as skillful a person who can survive something unlike...Gwen, or...I guess, me..."

"I'll be fine. Trust me." Topher said. "Besides, I'm fast on my feet. So I'll be able to make it to the stores and back within about...I believe five to ten minutes, hopefully. If I see somebody out there who's about to kill me, I'll make sure to hide in the stores before it's safe to come out." Topher pats Noah on the shoulder, before heading out the doors. "Trust me on this one, I got this." Noah nods his head, blinking a couple times, before stepping backwards, allowing the guy to leave. "I will see you guys in a couple moments. If you guys see something, hide somewhere that you can remain hidden in or behind."

"Alright. Be safe." Noah said.

"Yeah...whatever..." Duncan said, as Topher left. Topher glared at the punk, before heading off to the exit of the town hall. Noah, Duncan, and Mayor Hatchet remained behind as Topher left the town hall.


	40. Chapter 40

By the looks of where they are standing, Gwen and Cody finally arrived at the town hall. The two heard the sound of lightning above them, and then saw the police car and McLean's car both heading off around the neighborhood. The two remained hidden behind the bushes near the building, making sure that the two cars didn't notice them, nor the person who's going around, getting rid of Duncan's friends.

Cody turns his head towards the town hall's basement window, seeing that there was a figure wearing the exact same thing the previous killer was wearing before. He appeared to be dropping something big into the basement, but neither of them could see what he or she was placing into the basement through the window.

"Well..." Gwen whispers, before pulling her crossbow out of her backpack. "...Think we can take him out? Because if Duncan's in the town hall right now, then we should probably do it now." Cody looked out to the distance, seeing that Topher was walking out from inside the town hall from the corner. "Cody? What are you..."

"Gwen, look." Cody whispers, pointing at Topher, as he was walking his way towards the corner of the town hall building.

The two looked over to see that Topher was walking over to the spot where the figure was at by the window to the basement. Topher took notice of what the guy was placing into the basement below, and then walked up to him. Cody and Gwen walked over to the side of the town hall, staying hidden from the two near the window, trying to hear the conversation. They couldn't hear anything because of the rain, but the two of them could see a bit of an argument happening between the two of them. By the looks of it, it definitely looks like Topher actually is apart of all of this in the first place.

"See? I told you Topher shouldn't be trusted." Cody whispers to Gwen. The goth looked over to the boy she was with, wondering what the plan was.

"Well now what?" Gwen asked the boy.

"I think we got to get in there and warn Noah and Duncan. I feel like they don't know that Topher is planning something this whole time." Gwen looks over to the two by the window one more time, before looking at Cody.

"Good call, Cody. Now let's go."

The two ran up to the town hall door. Gwen knocks on the door rapidly, hoping that the mayor, Duncan, or Noah ends up hearing their calls. Cody looked inside the window to see if they would be coming over to the door or not.

Thankfully, looking inside the town hall, Noah was actually running his way downstairs right now. The boy ran up to the double doors, letting Cody and Gwen into the town hall. After the two were finally inside the building, Cody spoke to his best friend.

"Noah, thank god you guys are okay." Cody said.

"Yeah. But why wouldn't we be?" Noah asked him.

Cody held onto his friend by his arms, looking into his eyes. "Noah, you're not going to believe us at all, but I'm telling the truth here. Topher is probably one of the two guys who we seen back there in the parking lot last night." Noah raises an eyebrow after hearing that said.

"What?! Topher?! Why him?! How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Dude...hear me out...I was walking down the street, and then Chris drove up to me wanting to know if me, Gwen, or anyone else would want to help him, but then he said that Duncan and Topher had a bit of problems back when the two were in middle school and high school." Noah looks behind himself at the stairs, as Cody continued. "By the sound of it, it makes perfect sense. If Topher hasn't been seen during the last few years of high school, then that could only mean that..." Cody stops himself, remembering another clue that was found. "Hold on...I just remembered one little thing...is Topher from New York, or had any association with that state, somehow?"

"I don't know nothing about the guy. So you got me, dude." Noah looks up at the stairs. "However, if this is true, then who's the other guy?"

"I don't know that either..." Cody than had one more thought that came to mind when it came down to all of this. "Hold on...now that I think about it...what is all that stuff that the killer was placing inside the basement? We still don't know anything about that yet."

"Do you even know where the basement door is in this place?" Gwen asked.

"I actually do." Noah said. "Back on one of the field trips in college here, I saw a door that had the word '_Basement_' on it, and that's at the end of the hallway nearby."

"Really?" Cody asked. "Guess it's that easy, huh?" Cody then looks over to Gwen, before looking at Noah. "So...now what's the plan? Who takes care of what in this problem?"

"Well...I say I'll see what's in the basement with Gwen by my side. Cody, since you heard this front Chris, I think you should be the one to confront Duncan about this." Cody's eyes widened hearing that being said. "Don't worry, I doubt Mayor Hatchet will allow Duncan to kick your ass in a place like this. Anyway, me and Gwen have some investigating to do. I'll tell you what we find after we're done."

"Be careful down there."

"We will. Just make sure that if you hear footsteps in the upstairs area. Prepare to fight whoever it is."

"I will."

* * *

After their talk...

Noah and Gwen went up to the basement door that the former was talking about. Noah looked at the sign on the door, before looking over to Gwen, who has her crossbow equipped and ready, in case something goes awry in this room. He gulps before grabbing a hold of the doorknob.

But turning the knob didn't do anything, as the door was locked. Somewhat good, as whoever was down there wouldn't come charging up here like a psycho immediately. But now they have to find a way down there. Noah looks at Gwen, before heading over to the janitors closet.

He turns the knob on the closet door, seeing that it was unlocked. Noah walks into the janitors closet, looking around for a key. He looks around for a bit, until he discovered that the key was hidden under the trash can. Noah picks it up, and heads over to the basement door again. He places the key into the lock, before Noah looks over to Gwen one more time.

"You ready?" Noah asked the goth.

Gwen places an arrow into her crossbow, before nodding her head. "You bet I am." Gwen said softly.

The door swings up, and Gwen aimed the crossbow into the dark basement. A couple seconds of waiting, and...nothing came out of the basement. Seeing that the cost was clear, Noah tried to reach out for a light switch, only to notice that there was none there. Noah pulls his phone out, turning the light on, before looking over to Gwen.

"Alright...stay alert at all times, Noah." Gwen said to him.

"I will." Noah whispers, before moving slowly into the basement.

The two walked into the basement, wondering what the secondary killer placed down here. The two made it to the bottom of the stairs, where they were met with even more darkness. Noah looks over to Gwen, curious about something, now that they were down here.

"You think there's a light switch down here?" Noah whispers. "I think we should find a light before anything else." Gwen looks around the dark basement, seeing that that might be a safer idea than going into this in the dark.

"I think that's for..." Gwen was immediately interrupted by the sound of a panic mumbling. She held up her crossbow again, looking around. "What the hell was that?!" Noah listens closely to the noise, only to notice one thing about it. His eyes widened.

"Courtney?! How did she..." Noah looks over to the walls, then looks over to Gwen. "Hold the light for me, I got to find a light to see what the hell these guys have done."

"Alright."

Noah looks around the walls, trying to find a way to turn the lights on. He places his hands on the wall, trying to find a switch, then finally found one after looking around a little bit. Once he found it, he immediately turns on the light, causing the lights to be on.

Noah and Gwen looked over to the middle of the room, seeing what was making that mumbling noise. There were two chairs, with two people that were tied up together on them. It was Courtney and Bridgette. Courtney was awake, but Bridgette was passed out. Courtney was visibly panicking, while Bridgette was still knocked out. Gwen ran up to the surfer girl, before looking over to Noah.

"She's still breathing. She's not dead." Gwen told Noah. Gwen then turns to Courtney. "Courtney, are you okay?"

"I was just kidnapped...do you honestly think that I am okay?!" Courtney asked angry. "Get me out of here!"

"We will once you calm down."

"Damn it, Gwen...just get me out of here..." Courtney angrily mutters.

Gwen started to try to the rope that was keeping Courtney tied to the chair. Noah went over to try to help, only for the sound of the basement door closing was heard upstairs. The two stopped in their tracks, hearing that noise. Gwen and Noah looked at each other, seeing that whoever it was is coming down to the basement right this very moment.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Cody walked up the stairs of the town hall to find and confront Duncan about him and Topher's past. It might be pointless, but he sent a text to Emma and Kitty in hopes that they know that he, Noah, and Gwen are at the town hall, trying to figure out what this plan the two killers have. Hopefully, the two sisters end up seeing the text and come to their rescue if needed.

Cody walked around the upstairs floor hallway, until he made it to the mayor's office once again. He stopped next to the door, before Duncan came out of the room so that he can go to the restroom. Duncan looks over to notice Cody standing next to the mayor's door, waiting for him to finally talk to him.

"What do you want?" Duncan asked.

"Duncan, we seriously need to talk. It's about Topher." Cody said. "Because Chris said something about you and him having some bad history in the past. In high school, specifically." Duncan scoffs, rolling his eyes at that being said to him. "Seriously dude, Chris told me everything."

"Hey, my life in high school was nothing but shit. So I'm not going to give a shit, nor talk about it."

"Well, shitty life or not, we're in a bit of danger here if you haven't noticed." Cody held up his hands, and then glared at the older punk man. "Okay, you know what? I think I have no other choice but to be blunt with you about all of this now. What I am getting at is this...me and Chris talked, and when he mentioned you and Topher had some sort of past together, that made me assume that he had something to do with what happened to your friends." Duncan's eyes widened when he heard Cody jump to that conclusion.

"Topher is the killer here?! That weak idiot?!"

"It's an assumption I am saying here. Right now...but by the looks of it, I can only assume that he had something to do with this. Now tell me what happened?!" Duncan stared at Cody for a couple seconds, before looking at the shorter boy again.

"I'm sorry...I can't really say what happened in the past, Cody. And even then, the last thing I need is the remember anything from my high school years. So shut the fuck up about that bullshit, and leave me alone about all of this." The weaker boy groans, before walking pass Duncan.

"Does Topher have a spot to work at around here?"

"I don't know. You've been here more than I did."

Cody walked over to the hallway of offices that were located at. The boy looks at the many names on the door, before noticing one office that had Topher's name on the door. He then opens the door, looking around to find some sort of clue that was in the office to show Duncan that Topher was one of the few people who was doing all of this.

Looking around the entire office, Cody looks through the desk, under the chair, inside the trash bin, including around the vending machine that was inside his room for some reason. So far, nothing. That was until Cody looked by the filing cabinets.

This finally made Cody believe that Topher had something to do with all of this...

Looking on the ground near the cabinets, there was a pen on the ground, that most likely belonged to Topher. The state it was from was New York. Cody knew that Gwen brought up that whoever the culprit is, was from, or went to, that state. He had to warn the mayor right now.


	41. Chapter 41

Back downstairs in the basement...

Noah and Gwen stood there in their tracks, staring at the staircase. Gwen kept her crossbow ready, as the person came down. She aimed her crossbow at the stairs, waiting for the right time to send an arrow at whoever this killer is.

"Hello?" It was Topher voice.

The man cane walking down the stairs, taking notice of the goth girl and the scrawny boy down here, along with Bridgette and Courtney. Topher raises an eyebrow, looking at the four that were down here, wondering what was going on down here. He looks over to Noah.

"What the hell is going down here?" Topher asked, holding up his hands in a defensive manner. "I came down here, noticing that the door was open, and the light was on. Not to mention, I heard the sound of Courtney's voice down here, and...apparently, she's tied up." Topher's regular stare turned into a glare. "I believe you two have a lot of explaining to do..." Noah glared back at Topher, holding up a finger at him.

"I think you got the wrong idea, Topher." Noah said. "I believe that YOU have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, considering that Cody and Gwen saw you outside the town hall, talking to that guy out there as if you and him...or her, are buddies." Topher's eyes widened in shock hearing this being said to him.

"Say what now?! You're jumping to the conclusion that I'm the one who did all of this?! Guys, I would never do something like this, I'm being honest with you guys when I say this, please listen!"

"What's there to listen to?! Because it seems like all of this is leading up to you, Topher." Noah steps closer to the boy, before pointing at finger in front of his face. "I don't know what kind of past that you and Duncan had...but revenge like this is absolutely sick...especially for somebody like you. But you know for a fact that you somehow did all of this, and it ended up biting you in the ass now...now talk, and say if it was you." The man cringed, before looking over to Gwen.

"No offence, but I really didn't want this guy to stand up to me like this, but...I'm telling you the truth, it's not me at all..."

"Bullshit."

"Noah...let me handle this..." Gwen said, holding up the crossbow in her hands. "Confess Topher...if I see one ounce of your words being nothing more but a lie..." Gwen pulls out an arrow out of her bag, before placing it into the crossbow. "I believe you know the answer...not only that, but I can tell when I person is lying, just by the looks of their face, and the way that they talk. Now say your side already about all of this...before you know damn well that this won't be painless for you."

The room was silent. Topher looked over to Gwen, aiming the crossbow at him, then looks over to Noah. The man's arms were still held up as if he was being told off by these two, then stared at the boy as he was wondering what to say at this point. He spoke, shaking his head.

"Both of you are making a huge mistake here. I would never do anything like this, I swear." Topher said.

"Quit lying to us, Topher." Noah said, glaring at the guy still.

"Fine...you know what...you want to know the truth so badly?"

Noah looked at one of Topher' arms, seeing that it was heading to the wall behind him. Noah also realized what he was reaching for behind himself, despite what he was reaching for was hidden in the darkness of the stairs. It was a crowbar. Topher glared at the two of them, smiling like a mad man, before pulling the crowbar out from the dark staircase.

"Duncan had been bullying me all throughout my high school years...he and his prick friends, standing by his side as he either bullied me, insulted me, lied to me about shit I didn't even do..." Topher explains to him, bitterness still in his voice. "That prick and his friends damn well deserved the shit that they ended up getting themselves..." Topher closes his eyes, muttering something under his breath. "The bastard straight up made me head off to New York, away from my friends and family...and shown no remorse after I left. I don't give a shit if he fucking forgotten about me...he's getting what he deserves..."

"But what about Bridgette?! Why the hell bring her into this?!" Noah asked him.

"Me nor my friend wanted her involved in this. But she gotten herself involved..." Topher frowns, before pointing at Courtney. "...All I wanted to get was Courtney to be down here, and when Duncan was with me, all alone...then we get rid of him and his girlfriend, and put an end to this bullshit, but nope...more people had to be involved." Topher lifts up the crowbar. "Now since you two gotten yourselves involved in me and my friends plans...I have no other choice to get you two now..."

Gwen sends an arrow into Tophers arm immediately after he said that. Topher screams, alerting the mayor, Duncan, and Cody upstairs. Gwen and Noah attempted to run upstairs, only for Topher to pull the arrow out of his arm, then go after the two escaping the basement.

Topher grabs a hold of Gwen's ankle, making her trip. Gwen falls down, until she hits the bottom of the stairs, as Topher picks up the crowbow, chuckling as he walked up to the goth. But before the guy could do anything to Gwen, the goth girl looks up immediately, and trips Topher down to the ground, before standing up off of the ground.

"Well goth girl...you really know how to fight, do you?! Well...let's just say you think you're strong now...wait until you..." Topher said, before Gwen stood up, punching the guy in his cheek.

"G-Gwen...don't forget about us..." Courtney said. Gwen ran over to Courtney and Bridgette. She unties the ropes that were keeping them held to the chairs, but Bridgette wasn't waking up. "I'm out of here!" Courtney screams, attempting to run up the stairs.

"Noah! Get to Mayor Hatchet and Duncan!" Gwen shouts to him.

"Alright! Be safe down here, Gwen!" Noah shouts, before running out of the basement.

"I will!" Noah ran upstairs, as Topher got up off of the floor. Gwen pulled out her baseball bat, glaring at Topher, who was staring at her with an angry look on his face. "You know Topher...I didn't expect this kind of low to be from somebody like you..." Gwen shook her head, before stepping closer to the boy that killed her boyfriend. She held the baseball bat up to Topher's chin. "Now...you are so going to pay for killing Trent!"

"Funny you should say that!" Topher shouts, before pushing Gwen to the ground, and darting for the stairs.

"Gah!" Gwen lifts her head off of the ground, looking up the stairs. "Noah! He's coming up the stairs!"

* * *

Upstairs...

"So what you're saying is that Topher is the one, doing all of this? Topher?!" Mayor Hatchet asked Noah and Cody, who were standing in front of his desk. The two boys nodded their heads at the question, as Mayor Hatchet sighed, standing up from the desk he was sitting at. "I can understand you boys being frightened and all. But Topher of all people? I doubt he is the person who is responsible for all of this."

"I'm telling you, Topher had Courtney and Bridgette tied up in the basement!" Noah said, leaning on the desk. "He is in cahoots with another killer who is out there! All you have to do is go into the basement and see for yourself."

"Help!" Courtney's voice shouts from downstairs.

All three males ran out of the mayor's office, heading over to the stairs. They looked down them, seeing Courtney running out from the right hallway, trying to reach the front doors. Duncan ran out from the left hallway, hearing the sound of his girlfriend attempting to exit the town hall. The punk ran up to his girlfriend, hoping to calm her down.

"Courtney!? Holy shit, what the hell are you doing here?!" Duncan asked, running up to her. Courtney was tearing up, before hugging her boyfriend, almost crying at what was happening.

"The culprit...he captured me..." Courtney said. "I thought he would kill me...but..." Courtney tried to keep herself from crying, before Duncan hugged her.

"Courtney...Courtney...it's okay. You're safe with me." Duncan said reassuringly, patting her on the back.

All was silent, as Noah was slowly attempting to go down the stairs, in hopes of one of the two killers not coming out of nowhere, and then attacking one of them. Once Noah finally got to the bottom step, something happened that he can never end up not seeing for the rest of his life. Once he was finally at the bottom step, all Noah could hear was Courtney's scream.

The boy looks up, seeing that Courtney now has a wooden board sticking out of the side of her body, while she was still hugging Duncan. The punk opens his eyes, widened at the fact that his girlfriend was just hit with this board right now. Courtney fell to the ground, passing out after the board struck her in the side.

"NO!" Duncan and Noah screamed in horror at the fact that Courtney is assumed dead.

The many men that was in the room looked over to the hallway the girl came out of, seeing Topher was the one who threw the board at Courtney. The man was chuckling like a psycho, glaring at Duncan as he was walking into the main room. Mayor Hatchet's mouth dropped at the sight of Topher standing there, after Courtney fell to the ground. He genuinely couldn't believe what he was just seeing.

"Topher!? This better be a joke!" Mayor Hatchet shouts.

"No, Mayor Hatchet...this is true..." Topher mutters, bitterly. "That God damn prick, Duncan, is here, and we finally have him surrounded so that we can finally get rid of his bullying ass! He ruined my life, and made me leave this town...scared me of being around my school...to the point of that...and now he is here to die!" Gwen comes out of nowhere, pointing her crossbow at the boy, without him knowing about it.

"Not if me, Cody, and Noah are here to stop you..." Gwen said, keeping her crossbow aimed at him. Topher gave the goth girl a smirk, as he turned his head towards her. "Yeah, try to be as smug as possible. Too bad when Chris, Izzy, and MacArthur come back here, they are going to have your sorry ass thrown behind bars." Topher chuckles, before pointing behind himself.

"Funny you're up here. Because you want to know who's been helping me all this time? You'll be completely destroyed by this..." Topher said.

"What are you..."

"Hello Gwen." A male voice said from the opposite side of the main room of the town hall.

Gwen's eyes widened when she heard that voice. Duncan, Cody, Noah, and Mayor Hatchet looked over to the opposite side of the room, seeing the other figure with his hood down. But who it was was an absolute shock for everyone to end up seeing right now. Noah's jaw dropped.

"T-Trent?! You're alive?!" Noah asked. Gwen blinked a couple times, completely stunned at this.

"I-I can't believe this..." Gwen said softly.

"Okay...this I did not see coming...I mean, I thought he was dead, last time MacArthur was here talking to me before." Mayor Hatchet said. Cody looked over to the mayor, before the man shrugged. "What? I didn't see this coming."


	42. Chapter 42

It was nothing but silent around the town hall...

Trent was somehow alive...

Nobody was talking, and nobody, except for Topher and Trent, were all mouths agape. None of them had any idea what to say about something like this. Topher walks away from Gwen, heading over to Trent's side, standing right next to him. Gwen points at the two boys, not sure how any of this is possible.

"H-How am I actually seeing this? Trent, how are you alive, and...YOU?! YOU'RE HELPING TOPHER IN ALL OF THIS?!" Gwen asked, pretty much enraged at the end there. "How the hell can you do this to Duncan, and to me?!" Trent lowers the baseball bat in his hands.

"Let me get this out of the way..." Trent said slowly. "Back during college, I've been seeing you and Duncan hanging out around...many places around town. Like the god damn park, the library, the lunch table that is literately outside of the college building. Oh, and let's not forget the time where the two of you almost kissed at that party when you were with him at the bridge near the forest." Trent points over to Topher, keeping his eyes glaring at Gwen. "Topher came to me, knowing how my feelings were against Duncan, and he told me that we could both get our revenge on him for treating us horribly. So...here are me...and Topher, here right now, ready to finally put an end to that prick for ruining our lives." Gwen held the side of her head, looking at Trent as if he was insane.

"Trent...I honestly can't believe you..." Gwen said, slowly. "You...you did all of this...to Scott, to Lightning, Jo, Alejandro...Courtney..." Gwen glared at the boy she loved before, shaking her head, breathing heavily almost enraged.

"None of this makes any sense! Gwen and her friends saw you die right then and there!" Noah shouts, pointing at the two boys who were doing all of this.

"Hey, it was easy." Topher said. "I was able to get a taxi to take me all the way to the house Alejandro lives. I already fought him about an hour before Trent and his buddies started searching the dude's house. So yeah...even though I was hesitate, I did fought Trent. He is pretty tough." Trent nods his head, before continuing to talk. "So yeah, I Trent lied, and then he went off to hide off at his own house, and waited for this right moment to be here so that we can finally be here, to get rid of Duncan." Noah held the side of his head, finding this completely bizarre. "It's not hard to know how I was able to get Alejandro's house..."

"Did you try to fight off Courtney at her house, but you forgot your weapon?!" Noah asked him.

"Actually...neither me nor Trent, knew who was even there..."

"What?!"

"Actually...I can clear that up..." Mayor Hatchet said. "...I actually told Izzy to go visit Courtney to see how things are...and...it just so happens that she was wearing a jacket just like Topher and Trent..." Mayor Hatchet chuckles nervously. Noah, Gwen, Cody, Duncan, Topher, and Trent stared at the mayor, finding that reasoning for Izzy doing that completely inane. "Something tells me I should just go into my office, and...try to call Detective McLean, huh?"

"No shit..." Topher said. "If you haven't noticed, me and Trent have a couple things to do."

"Yes, yes...I understand...I'll see you guys after you survive. Hopefully..." Mayor Hatchet ran off to his office, as Cody reached out to try to get him to not leave, only to stop himself in the process.

"Oh this is wonderful..." Cody mutters. He turns his head to Topher and Trent. "Let me guess...you guys are going to still go after Duncan whether we want you guys to or not?" Topher and Trent nodded their heads in unison. "...And you're going to start now, are you?" The two boys nodded their heads again. "Of course you are..."

Gwen just stared down at the floor, growling under her breath, as she stood there. She was so full of anger and hatred for the two boys that have been doing all of this in secret. Forgiveness is completely out the window at this point. She was not wanting to do that, not after all that has happened in the past few days. Gwen points at Trent, finally telling him off for all of this.

"You know Trent...I honestly expected a lot out of you, but THIS..." Gwen started off saying, disappointment clear in her voice. "...This is so...so fucking insane..." Gwen points at him one more time. "I am NEVER going to forgive you for ANY OF THIS SHIT! IT'S SO OVER BETWEEN US!"

Trent's eyes widened in shock after Gwen said that. He was not expecting Gwen to break up with him for doing any of this, he really just wanted to help their relationship in the best way possible. He had no idea that this was a very, very bad idea. Topher glared at the goth girl, shaking his head in disappointment at her.

"Oh Gwen...you're breaking up with your boyfriend because he was trying to fix things in your relationship? Such a bitch you are for doing so." Topher said, glaring at her still. "How much of an ungrateful bitch are..."

Without warning, Gwen pulls up her crossbow, and sends an arrow flying straight at Topher. But before the arrow could hit him, the boy ducks, letting the arrow hit the wall behind him. Topher stood back up, looking behind himself, laughing while shaking his head.

"Not the best attempt to get me there, Gwen...such a shame..." Topher said. "You didn't let me finish either...if you can't have Trent, then..." Topher pulls out his baseball bat, before glaring at Duncan. "...Neither...can this prick!"

Topher charges straight at Duncan, who was standing there in horror. But before he could get anywhere close to the punk, Gwen and Noah ran up towards Duncan trying to protect him from Topher. Noah leaps onto Topher's back, attempting to pull him down to the ground, as Gwen aimed her crossbow at him. The goth looks behind herself at Duncan.

"Duncan! Get to Detective McLean! Tell him to come back to the town hall!" Gwen shouts at him.

"But what about you guys?!" Duncan asked.

"Leave Topher and Trent to us! We can handle this!" Gwen looks forward, seeing Trent was attempting to block Topher from being hit by the arrows in Gwen's crossbow. The goth glared at him, before keeping her aim at Trent. "Nice of you to try to be hero towards your only friend in this situation, Trent..." Gwen growls at him, bitterly. Duncan ran out of the door, before holding up his hands.

"Gwen, shit like this doesn't have to go this far!" Trent said, worried that things really went this far. "Just lower the crossbow, and let's...try to..."

"How about I don't listen to your LYING ASS, AND GET RID OF YOU FIRST?!" Gwen snaps at him. "YOU HELPED THAT PSYCHO KILL DUNCAN'S FRIENDS AND GIRLFRIEND, AND YOU CLEARLY HAVE NO REMORSE TOWARDS THEIR DEATHS NOW THAT YOU'RE CAUGHT ALONG WITH YOUR FRIEND!"

Topher punches Noah off of himself, before glaring at Gwen again. He leaps by the side of her, as she sends an arrow towards his direction, only for her to miss. Topher was finally behind Gwen, pushing her to the ground, as Trent runs off to the stairs. Gwen looked up to see if her crossbow was in her reach, only for her to realize that Topher now has the crossbow now. Noah was knocked out on the ground besides them.

Cody stared in horror at the fact that Gwen is literately close to being defeated by Topher, as Trent runs pass him, heading to the roof of the town hall. Topher gave the goth a smirk, as he kept the crossbow pointing at Gwen.

* * *

Outside...

It was raining...

Duncan was running through the rain, trying to get to Detective McLean, or the police cars that were sent to go find the culprits. The punk almost couldn't see anything out here in the rain, but was able to find MacArthur's police car sirens lights out in the distance down one of the streets. Upon seeing and hearing the sirens from the distance, Duncan immediately ran towards them.

The punk waved his hands, running at the two cars that were out on opposite side of the park. Sadly, due to the darkness and rain, and police sirens, the three couldn't hear Duncan screaming out for their help.

In the police car...

Izzy was holding a flashlight out of the car, trying to find the culprit out here. But she couldn't find anyone walking along the streets at the moment. Before she could put her hear back into the car, she heard the sound of Duncan screaming coming from the park.

"Wait! Don't drive off!" Duncan shouts, running at hem in a fast speed.

Thankfully for Duncan, the people in the police car heard that. Izzy's eyes widened upon seeing Duncan running towards the police car, before looking behind herself at the police woman she was with. The police car stopped for Duncan, as he ran up closer towards the police car.

"Duncan?!" Izzy shouts. "What are you doing out here?! I thought you were at the town hall!"

"Izzy, MacArthur, you got to come back to the town hall building right now!!! Topher is the killer! Along with Trent!" Duncan said, in a panicked voice.

"Trent?! I thought he was dead!" Izzy shouts back.

"Well...he's alive! And he's at the town hall right now, along with Topher!" Duncan looks behind the police car, seeing Detective McLeans car coming over to them. Chris gets out of his car, and ran over to the police car, wondering what's going on. "Chris, we got to get to the town hall, right now!!"

"Why?!" Chris asked.

"Topher and Trent are the culprits, they got...they got Courtney..." Chris's eyes widened when he heard that being said.

"Another person died?!" Duncan nods his head, tears streaming down his face. "Oh crap...MacArthur, Izzy, we got to get back to the town hall of this is true! Duncan, you come with me!" Duncan nods his head.

"We'll be right behind you, Detective McLean!" MacArthur shouts from inside her car. After that was said, everyone was off, back to the town hall.


	43. Chapter 43

Back at the town hall...

Topher still had Gwen cornered with her own crossbow in his hand. Noah was knocked out on the ground after he attempted to fight Topher himself, and Cody was sitting down against the stairs. He was staring at Topher as he had his former crush stopped in her tracks.

"It's over...Gwen...you tried to save your punk of a boyfriend...but it costed your own life..." Topher said, glaring at her with a crazy looking smile. "Anything you want to say to me?"

"I'm not scared of you, bitch..." Gwen muttered at him. "...You're weak...you wouldn't...you wouldn't hit a girl even if you want to..." Topher shook his head, keeping the crossbow aimed at the goth still.

"You wish you were more brave than that, Gwen...but it turns out, you're not..."

Just as Topher sends an arrow out of the crossbow, Gwen closes her eyes immediately, worried at what will end up happening next. She opens her eyes, looking over to Topher, only to see that Cody was able to get in the way of the arrow before Topher could be able to harm Gwen at all. Gwen gasps in shock, as Cody fell to the ground, arrow stuck in his chest.

"Cody, no!" Gwen shouts, before glaring at Topher. "You prick! I hope you're happy now!" Topher tosses the crossbow aside, before glaring at Gwen once more, before heading over to the stairs.

"Hey, the loser got in the way." Topher said, showing not a single hint of remorse in his voice as he was backing up towards the stairs behind him. "Anyways, I'm out of here!"

Topher ran up the stairs, and headed to who knows where. Gwen stayed downstairs, as Cody was injured by the arrow. Noah was literately waking up at this point, hearing his own best friend, in pain next to Gwen. The goth was shocked that this happened, as Cody felt nothing but pain in his body. Gwen pulls out some bandages that she was carrying with her on the way here.

"Cody, you...you saved me..." Gwen said, rather surprised. Cody nods his head, looking up at Gwen, as he was still holding the arrow. Noah stood up, looking over to the two friends of his, walking over to them. "I owe you one on this, Cody." The boy coughs a bit, before Gwen went to trying to help Cody out.

"C-Cody...I-I can't believe I am actually seeing this...not you of all people..." Noah whispers, softly to himself, fearing the worse for his best friend. "...You can't die now..." Cody smiled, weakly, looking up at his best friend.

"Noah, dude...it was worth it, trust me..." Cody said, before pointing to the stairs. "...It all lies on you now...take that crossbow, and take down Topher. Teach him a lesson..."

Noah looks down at the crossbow that was right against his feet. He picks it up, then looks around it. One arrow left inside of this thing, so knowing this little detail, he was going to have to make it one that would save his own life. Noah sighed, before looking at Gwen and Cody.

"Gwen, keep Cody safe for me." Noah said, before backing up towards the stairs behind him. "I'll take Topher on myself."

"Be careful up there, Noah." Gwen told him.

"With how far me, you, Cody, and Duncan came...I think I'll be fine taking on Topher myself." Noah looked at Cody with concern in his eyes. "I just hope you'll be okay, Cody."

Without another word, Noah ran upstairs, heading off to find Topher or Trent upstairs. He looked down every pathway, making sure he doesn't end up missing one of the two boys around the upstairs hallway.

It wasn't until he finally made it to the staircase that led up to the roof that he finally found one of the two boys. Noah ran through the door, only to be blocked by Trent before he was able to head up any further. Trent was holding the same baseball bat in his hands as he was standing there.

"Where do you think you're going?" Trent asked harshly, glaring at the shorter boy. "You has to get your sorry ass in the way of my relationship with Gwen?! You just had to!"

"That's not my fault, asshole" Noah said. "Now move before you leave me no other choice!" Trent shook his head at the fact that Noah was really doing this. "Trent...I mean it..."

"Oh come on, Noah, you think I'm scared of your scrawny ass?! Nobody is, not even the weakest kid in school is scared of you!"

"Yeah, you're totally insane now..."

Trent throws himself at Noah swinging the bat at him, but Noah was able to duck in time. The taller boy looks behind himself, seeing Noah was still standing. With one more swing, Trent was able to knock the crossbow out of his hands, sending it falling down the stairs. Noah was now frightened at the fact that this might actually be the end for him.

Until out of nowhere...

An arrow came out of nowhere, going upwards, catching both boys off guard. Trent was too distracted to notice Noah swinging a fist at him, knocking him to the ground. After Trent was knocked out, Noah looks over to the bottom of the stairwell, wondering who was downstairs, saving his life there.

"Sorry, I...I thought you needed help..." Bridgette said, holding the crossbow at the steps lower than the platform that Noah was standing on. "At least you're safe. Right?" Noah sighed in relief, before nodding his head.

"You bet I'm safe...thank you..." Noah said. Bridgette makes it up the stairs, to where Noah was standng.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I am...Cody's been injured by Topher, but...at least I am alive...I guess..."

"Oh crap, Cody's been injured?"

"Yeah." Noah points behind himself. "Gwen is attempting to help his wounds downstairs. Just try to go downstairs, while I go..." Noah looks up, seeing where the rest of the stairs goes up to. "Oh damn...as I go to the roof to try to defeat Topher for the actions that he caused. Make sure that the two are safe, and that Topher isn't downstairs." Noah then looks at the surfer girl one more time. "Also, give Gwen her crossbow back, because I'm actually going to use the baseball bat that Trent was using beforehand." Noah picks up said bat, then looks at Bridgette again.

"You think Trent will wake up?"

"Can't promise he won't. But he's the least of my worries right now." Noah points to the upstairs area. "My real problem is Topher, and he should have gotten himself trapped on the roof."

"Be careful, Noah."

"I will." Noah headed upstairs, as Bridgette ran into the hallway, heading off to go find Gwen and Cody.

* * *

Gwen was still bandaging Cody's wound up, as Bridgette came walking down the stairs, noticing the injured boy. The surfer ran up to the two, as Gwen finally got finished with placing bandages on Cody's injuries. The goth cringed, before she started to talk.

"Cody...I-I can't believe you went and did what you did." Gwen said, softly. "It was stupid of you to do all of that, but...I didn't think you'd actually do...that, save my life, I mean." Cody coughs a bit, before sitting up from the floor. He looks over to the goth, before holding the bandaged wound. "You might not want to move an inch if you want that to not hurt." Cody nods his head.

"Yeah...no shit, dude..." Cody said. "Also the thing with...eh...me saving your life..." Cody looked at Gwen, holding the side of his arm as he continued talking. "...I felt like all I was doing to...try to redeem myself, and by a better person towards you...wouldn't be enough...also...you...you have yourself a family that..." Cody groans in pain, sitting himself up, before continuing to talk. "...You got a family I wish I had, you know? I don't exactly have a family like yours, and...to me, you're just lucky on that one. Not to mention, you deserve to live knowing that they'd be devastated if you died right now." Gwen looks down at the floor.

"I...I guess you're right..."

"I am right, Gwen. I did what I had to."

"But...you could've died doing all of this..." Cody smiled, rubbing his shoulders, as he stared at his former crush.

"Well, if you ask me...it probably would've been worth it in the end for me. You'd still be alive, and that's all that would've mattered to me." Cody smiled, before Gwen held his hand, smiling at him.

"Well, I owe you one, Cody. Thank you."

"I think we're even, Gwen."

"Hey...I don't mean to interrupt you guys, having a talk about friendship and all, but...Noah is heading upstairs ready to fight Topher all by himself." Bridgette said, pointing behind herself at the stairs. "Not only that, but...Trent is possibly not dead, so...I don't what we're going to do about all of this right now." Gwen stood up from the floor, taking the crossbow back for herself.

"Thank you. Watch Cody for me, I'll handle Topher alongside Noah." Gwen told the surfer. "It's time that all of this bullshit comes to an end." Bridgette gave the goth a smirk, as she walked over to Cody.

"Finally, something I agree with you on."

"Yeah well...sure. Whatever." Gwen then places the crossbow in her backpack, before glaring at the stairs. "I got to get to Noah and defend him now. I'll be back down in about a couple moments."

Gwen runs up the stairs, leaving Bridgette and Cody in their spot. Cody smiled, watching his friend leave, knowing that she had this all under control. "She's so brave..." Cody said softly to herself. Bridgette looked at him after he said that. She then looks forward at the stairs, hoping that the two make it out okay.

* * *

With Noah again...

The boy finally made it to the roof, trying to find Topher up here. He could almost see the top of the forests out in the distance. The town hall was only two floors high, but even knowing that, Noah felt a bit worried being up here, especially with the fact that it's raining. He could hear the sound of thunder out there in the distance as well, making him shiver in fright, before he went back to trying to find Topher up here.

Looking around the top of the roof, Noah couldn't see anyone around here. He could only see the raindrops falling out of the sky, and the town out there in the distance, and nothing more. That was until he saw the shadowy figure of Topher standing there, looking out to the distance of the town.

"I know, beautiful town from up here." Noah said, behind Topher alerting the guy to him being here. "You mind stop running away so that we can finally put a stop to all of this?! End this bullshit once and for all?!" Topher looks behind himself, giving Noah a smirk.

"Well what took you so long?" Topher asked, sarcastically.

"Your traitor of a best friend, Trent, had to keep me in the stairwell, until Bridgette came to save me. I don't know what your plan would've been if I was dead."

"I would've had Gwen to..."

"...Or if she was dead..." Topher narrows his eyes, glaring at Noah.

"Then Bridgette would..."

"What if she left the town hall and ran back to her mother's house. No offense, but parts of this plan doesn't seem well thought out. I mean..." Topher narrows his eyes, as Noah continued to talk. "...All of us could've been killed by Trent, and you would've been up here alone, although..."

"I get it! You're stalling at this point!" Noah shrugged his shoulders, before giving the guy a smirk.

"Truthfully, I get that a lot..."

"Enough talk already, you prick!" Topher pulled out the same baseball bat he had for awhile, before glaring at Noah. "This time, there's no going back for one of us, and it's going to be you. Once I'm finished with you...I don't know what the hell I'll do next, but I'll think of it when I do, but either way, you'd be dead after this moment." Noah held his baseball bat in his hands, glaring at Topher.

"So be it, then..." Noah said, softly, as one more sound of thunder came from the distance.


	44. Chapter 44

It was silent on the roof of the town hall...

Topher and Noah glared at each other, bats in hand as they stared each other from both sides of where they were standing. With one more sound of thunder out in the distance, the two charged at each other, screaming as they did so.

The two threw their bats aside, punching each other. Noah kept every single person that had been affected by all of this in his thoughts as he was fighting off Topher. All the while, Topher was fighting back at him.

From the beginning, when Scott ended up getting attacked by him, or Trent. Then it was Lightning, then Jo, who be tried to save. Then got rid of Alejandro, and then Trent lied about being dead this whole time. Then there's the straw that broke the camels back for Noah...

...The fact that Courtney ended up getting injured because of this guy.

Noah wasn't going to forgive Topher for doing that. No. He couldn't forgive something like that. Not after what happened to his own former crush. He didn't know if she was either dead, or passed out, but he wasn't forgiving Topher for having her involved in his plans of getting rid of all of Duncan's friends, including her. Courtney was where the line is crossed for Noah, that's for sure.

"You just had to take your entire anger out on Duncan and his friends, including his own girlfriend, did you?!" Noah asked, trying to circle around the boy. Topher rubs the side of his arm, still glaring at Noah.

"I don't care if you don't agree with my plan at all..." Topher said, glaring at him. "Me and Trent were doing the right thing...we really were...then you..." the guy points at Noah. "...As well as your nerdy little friend, your girlfriend and her foolish sister...the goth that nobody likes...you all have to get involved in what we were doing...and you just had to get involved because...you just had to..."

"Why wouldn't I get involved? You probably should've killed Scott away from my house...don't you think?" Noah kept his glare onto him, holding the side of his arm. "...I don't think you would've thought an entire good plan knowing that I was living right nearby that playground..."

"How the hell was I suppose to know that you lived nearby than?"

"That question was sarcastic..."

Noah straightens himself, ready to fight again. Sadly, Topher got the upper hand on this, and charged himself at Noah. The taller boy launches himself at Noah, fist balled. They rolled over to one of the two baseball bats that they had, only for it to fall off the roof.

The two then looked over to the other baseball bat on the opposite side of the roof. Then they ran for that one, ready to fight the other one with said bat. The two accidentally started slipping and sliding on the wet roof, trying to reach the bat, until Topher was able to grab a hold of it before Noah did.

"Ha ha! Now you're done for!" Topher shouts, aiming the crossbow at Noah.

"TOPHER!" A voice said from below the town hall.

Topher looks off of the roof, seeing Chris, MacArthur, Izzy, and Duncan down below. Chris seems to be holding a bullhorn as well, so it was him that shouted his name. Topher glared at the four of them.

"Put the crossbow down, now!" Chris shouts.

"NEVER!" Topher shouts, still glaring at them. Chris frowned, before looking over to the other three.

"Welp, I tried. I got never." Chris said, voice lowered.

"Topher! You have five seconds to come down here and surrender!" Izzy shouts down at the ground area. "Now will you come down here?!"

"You really think that's going to help?!" Topher screams back. "You guys are not good at this!"

"Screw you too!" Izzy shouts, before picking up a rock and throwing it into the sky. The rock hit...nothing but the ground. "Oh crap, that didn't work..."

"Yeah, So not good at this..." Topher mutters, before noticing the baseball bat in his hands are missing. "What the?!" Noah whistles for Topher's attention, holding the baseball bat that he had.

"Well, looks like you didn't last long, didn't you?" Noah asked, twirling the bat in his hands.

Without a warning, Topher launches himself at Noah, trying to get the baseball bat out of his hands as he attacked him. The two struggled to get the baseball bat out of the others grips. The two spun around and around, trying to get the bat out of the others hands.

It wasn't until Noah was sent flying straight near the edge of the roof, rolling onto his back. He looks to his left, seeing the edge of the roof from his spot, before looking to the opposite direction, seeing Topher walking over to him. Noah gulps, before attempting to stand up onto his feet. But he was failing to do so, due to the rain making the roof wet.

"See what I mean by you not going anywhere now, Noah?" Topher asked him, an angry look on his face as he walked over to him. "You need anymore ways for me to tell you this bullshit is going to get you killed?! I told you not to get your ass involved, and then you did...now it's time for you to finally die trying to defeat a guy like me."

Closing his eyes, Noah looks the other direction, ready to take whatever rage Topher had inside himself. He knew this was it for him, considering that this feels like it's really the end for his life at this point. He was trapped on the roof with this guy, and nobody's here to save him. He closed his eyes...

...Only for the sound of Topher falling off of the roof being heard...

Noah opens his eyes, before looking off the edge of the roof. He saw Topher, laying there on the ground in front of the town hall, arrow coming out of his chest. He wasn't moving, so the arrow probably ended the guy's life. With a sigh of relief, Noah looks over to the roof's door, seeing Gwen standing there with her crossbow in her hands. The goth took notice of Noah laying by the roof's side.

"Noah, are you okay?" Gwen asked, walking over to him. Noah stood up, trying to regain his balance, before looking up at the goth girl.

"Y-You know I am...I'm not hurt..." Noah said, before holding the side of his arm. "...Ow...well, not completely...but...I made it through this disaster, didn't I?" Gwen gave the boy a smirk, before nodding her head.

"You...survived pretty well, I must say, Noah.

"Damn it...I liked this vest..." Noah brushes himself off, before looking at Gwen again. "If you're here...who's watching Cody?"

"Bridgette is watching Cody. After she saved your life, she went downstairs and told me to come up here and save you if you're still alive." The goth places an arm around the boy, before they started to make their way to the door downstairs. "Thankfully, I think we're in the clear..."

"Clear? Not yet..." Trent's voice said.

The two immediately looked over to the stairwell down, seeing Trent standing there. He looked like he felt guilty about all of this actions. From Scott being killed, to what happened tonight. The two glared at the boy, as he was rubbing his arm with worry about all that has happened.

"I'm...uh...guessing you two are still pretty mad at me for...causing all of that shit days ago, huh?" Trent asked the two. Gwen and Noah both nodded their heads in unison. "I see...but...it was all for a good cause...right?" Trent laughs nervously, before Noah pulled out Gwen's crossbow, aiming it at Trent, causing him to hold up his hands in surrender. "No no no no, wait! I didn't mean to do any of this! I swear! Please don't end me!"

"Well...considering you lied to me about you being dead of all things, I feel like it's only best that you go the same route that your buddy went. Don't you think?!" Noah asked, viciously glaring at Trent still. Gwen stood by, allowing this to happen in front of herself.

"Do what you have to do, Noah." Gwen said. "...And thank you for making this decision for me. I don't think I'd trust him real easily if I was in your shoes." Noah nods his head.

"Oh believe me Gwen, I know..."

Trent closes his eyes, as Noah looks behind himself with a smirk on his face. Noah drops the crossbow onto the roof, not killing Trent right where he wants him. The boy with black hair opens his eyes, seeing that Noah wasn't going to kill him for all that he has done, which he felt was a good thing.

That was until he was hit in the head by something...that being Courtney, saving the two, by knocking Trent out with the same board Topher threw at her. Trent fell off the side of the roof, landing on the ground below. Courtney smiled, before looking at Noah. He smiled back at her, before he walked up to her.

"Thanks Courtney." Noah said.

"I had to save you, Noah." Courtney said, smiling back at her. "By the way, is Duncan alright? I saw him gone after I heard you and Gwen were up here." Noah points behind himself at the roof's edge.

"He's alive, and he's downstairs, outside, in front of the town hall, probably waiting for you to meet up with him." Courtney smiled at the shorter boy, before stepping back into the building.

"Alright, then I'll go meet up with him. Also, Noah..." Courtney looks at the guy one more time, before smiling. "Thank you, for saving our town. You really saved all of us by doing this." Noah smiled, nodding his head.

"Your welcome, Courtney." Noah and Gwen headed downstairs along with her, finally happy that Topher and Trent were finally defeated for good.


	45. Chapter 45

Everything was calm now that Topher and Trent were defeated...

Noah and Gwen were walking side by side, heading off to the town hall's exit so that they can go and tell Chris, MacArthur, and Izzy the good news. The two walked down the hallway that had the stairwell inside, walking pass Mayor Hatchet's office room. Noah looks inside the office, seeing the mayor himself, scared, and hiding behind his own desk.

Mayor Hatchet looks out from behind the desk, wondering if it was safe to come out yet. When Mayor Hatchet saw that it was Noah and Gwen, he sighed in relief, seeing that they've survived. Then came out from behind his desk, feeling like everything was safe now. He ran up to the two of them.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Mayor Hatchet asked the two of them. Noah and Gwen nodded their heads.

"It is." Noah said. "Now that it's safe, you and anyone else who's working around here, and come out and head...most likely home." Noah shrugs his shoulders, before looking over to the stairs down to the main area. "...Wherever you have to go this morning, I mean..."

"Oh thank God...I thought I was going to be a goner for a moment..."

"Nope. We're all safe."

"Such a hero..." Gwen narrowed her eyes, glaring at the mayor after he said that. The man frowned worried, before giggling nervously. "...I meant heroes...sorry..." The mayor walked over to the two of them, walking along with them out of the town hall. "Is Cody alright?"

The two walked downstairs, seeing Bridgette and Courtney helping Cody onto his feet. "He's alright?" Bridgette shouts from downstairs. "All he needs to do is go to the hospital! That's all!" Bridgette looks over to Cody, as she kicks the town hall doors open so the group can leave.

The five people walked out of the town hall building, just as the rain was beginning to stop. Chris already called an ambulance before the whole fight happened, while the other three remained watching the rest of them walk out of the building. Noah, Courtney, and Bridgette helped Cody over to the ambulance, where the doctors informed them that he will be okay. Duncan ran over to the three.

"Oh crap! Courtney, I thought I lost you!" Duncan said, smiling at the fact his girlfriend is alive. He ran up to his girlfriend hugging her, how very happy he was to see that his girlfriend was actually alive. "Damn it, I thought you were gone for good." Courtney hugs her boyfriend back.

"I wasn't leaving you yet, Duncan. Don't worry about that." Courtney said.

Noah watched the two hug, feeling happy that they were alive. It was sad that Scott, Lightning, Jo, and Alejandro didn't survive this whole ordeal, but at least Courtney and Duncan were better than not having all of them saved. Not to mention, Noah was happy that Duncan and Courtney were hugging at this moment. He might've had a crush on Courtney in the past, but he was happy that she was able to stay with her boyfriend regardless.

"Noah!" Emma's voice shouts from the distance.

The boy looks out to the distance, hearing his girlfriend's voice coming over to him. Noah walks out from behind the ambulance, hearing his girlfriend's voice from behind it. He saw Emma and Kitty running over to the spot they were at. Guess they really did get Cody's text after all. Emma ran up to Noah, stopping right in front of him.

"Me and Kitty got your text. What happened?!" Emma asked, trying to catch her own breath. Noah points towards the front of the town hall where Topher was laying.

"Turns out...Topher was the only trying to go after Duncan and his friends." Noah explains to her. "Also, Trent turned out to be alive this whole time, and was waiting for this moment along with him so that they can finally get rid of Duncan once and for all. But...then me and all of my friends were able to stop him before he attempted to do anything to harm Duncan. Thankfully, he ran out, but...Cody, sort of got affected in the process. But...the doctors said he will live." Cody looked at Emma and Kitty, giving the two a thumbs up.

"Don't worry about me...I'll pull through." Cody said, smiling at them. "Not to mention, it was worth keeping Gwen alive."

"Such a hero." Kitty said, smiling at him.

"So...now that Gwen's boyfriend is...one of the two culprits...now what's her plans for dating?" Emma asked, looking over to the goth girl to her right. Gwen crossed her arms, looking away from the group.

"Right now, considering all that has happened, I'm afraid that I don't think I'll be dating at the moment." Gwen said. "For now, I think I'm going to just stay single until I feel like dating again. Because after hearing Trent was insane enough to do something like this...I doubt I should be right now." Noah held up his hands, nodding his head.

"Okay. You do what you want to do, Gwen. None of us are going to change your mind." Noah said. He then looks at his own girlfriend, before smiling at her. "But...hey, at least the culprits were captured, am I right?" Emma smiled at her boyfriend, nodding in agreement at that statement. She walks up to him, hugging him.

"Yeah, it really is."

The two stared at each others eyes, smiling at each other, finally happy that all of their troubles were over in this town. The two leaned into each other, ready to kiss one another. But before they could do that...

"Hey!" Trent's voice shouts from nearby. The group looks over to the spot where Trent fell at, seeing him walking out into the open, glaring at the entire group. He points at the group, angry at the fact that he just lost his girlfriend, and Topher being dead. "Do know that I am still alive! Just because Topher is dead, doesn't mean I'm here to stop all of you from being happy! I could..."

Trent stopped in his words, feeling something hit him. He looks down, seeing the same metal pole that killed Lightning stuck inside of him. He frowns, seeing this bitter irony coming out of nowhere once again, killing him instantly. The group was surprised by this happening right in front of their eyes, before they all looked over to see that Chris was the one who threw that pole. Everyone looked at him with surprised looks on their faces.

"What?" Chris said. "I think it was obvious that he wasn't dead yet. Not to mention, he probably would've stopped us from being happy, am I right?" Everyone looked at each other, silently.

"Chris isn't wrong." Cody started off saying.

"Yeah. Trent probably would've ruined all of this for us." Kitty said. MacArthur standing next to him, nodded her head. "So...glad to see that this is all behind us now, am I right?" Noah looks at the sister of Emma, and than spoke.

"Well...Duncan lost four of his friends..." Noah said. "...In the end, we've shown them that we did what happened seconds ago was for them. They maybe dead now, but at least we stopped those culprits from getting away with this." Emma nods her head. "All I can really say is that, thank God all of us managed to get out of this ordeal alive."

"Agreed."

With all that said and done, Emma and Noah kissed on this, as Chris, MacArthur, Izzy, Duncan, and Courtney headed off to their houses. The five that were there with Mayor Hatchet stood there, as Emma and Noah kissed, happy that all of this was over.

* * *

**Note: So, this is the end of this story. I would like to thank you guys for reading this story, and hey, leave a review of how you really like this story, if you want to, that is. Will I do another Total Drama fanfic, I'm not really sure at the moment, but I'm happy that this one is finally out there for you all to read. **

**Thank you all for reading this story. **


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